Lenoir Debates Schooling Issues
LENOIR, MO - School Board candidates discussed overcrowding of the Lenoir public schools Tuesday night. The school district is looking at drastic change, or a big blow to their change purses.
The candidates for school board shifted gears on Tuesday. Instead of the $35 million dollar bond issue plaguing recent debates, the senior citizens of Lenoir wanted to know the candidates stance on overcrowding and teacher unionization.
Some candidates said they believe that the best solution to the issues would be to construct new trailers to house the overflow of students. Candidate Henry Lane pushed this idea with vigor, insisting it would be a viable solution he believes will appease students, teachers, and parents. Incumbent Board President Elton Fay disagrees saying the constructions would raise the cost of education in the school system.
Another solution addressed was a plan for a 12-month school schedule. Candidates supporting this solution, such as Lane, said this could eliminate the need for the cost of construction of trailers. Fay insisted that the community would never “want schools on totally different schedules.”
By Sara Romaine, Staff Writer
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| Debate strikes over public school overflow. |
Some candidates said they believe that the best solution to the issues would be to construct new trailers to house the overflow of students. Candidate Henry Lane pushed this idea with vigor, insisting it would be a viable solution he believes will appease students, teachers, and parents. Incumbent Board President Elton Fay disagrees saying the constructions would raise the cost of education in the school system.
Another solution addressed was a plan for a 12-month school schedule. Candidates supporting this solution, such as Lane, said this could eliminate the need for the cost of construction of trailers. Fay insisted that the community would never “want schools on totally different schedules.”
Our incumbent candidates President Elton Fay, and Kerry Corino seem to disapprove with the both of the proposed measures. Corino noted that the problem will not go away, due to the rise in population. She says the issue with Lenoir’s public schooling is tough because “private schools can pick who they want; public schools cannot pick who they want.”
The remaining candidate, Larry Dorman addressed neither side stringently. He voiced that he wished he could both eliminate the overcrowding and increase teacher’s pay, without having to inconvenience anyone, “if money weren’t an issue, I’d build all the schools necessary.”
Right now the decision will come down between re-allocating money, building trailers, decreasing teacher’s pay, or enact year-round schooling, as no other solutions have been addressed.
Either way, the students, parents, and especially teachers will become increasingly unhappy as the problem remains unsolved. So, Lenoir questions, “is there a possibility of teacher unionization?” Fay insisted such was illegal in the state, and Corino assured the group Tuesday night that the city’s teachers are “anti-union.”
As more hot button issues continue to surface in the district, the ballots become closer to being cast. There is much to be debated about the public schooling in Lenoir.
| Lenoir County Schools An opinion on Lenoir Schooling
Whats your opinion? |
The debate that took place Tuesday night at the Senior Center caused me great concern.
ReplyDeleteOvercrowding. Classes given in trailers. Year-round schooling. More money needed. It seems to never end!
The issue is overwhelmingly important because it is something that needs to be taken care of. The children that receive public education in our town are a priority; it is as simple as that. The issue of overcrowding is inescapable with the town’s population on the rise, and a solution is needed.
However, the reason for my great concern is locked into something different—the candidates for school board. The way this issue was discussed on Tuesday night is really what caused my distress. Our incumbent candidates offered no hope for a good solution, and simply seemed to be on the defense.
Incumbent board President Elton Fay insisted that construction of trailers would raise “the cost of educating our children […] substantially,” and that the community would never “want schools on totally different schedules” when considering year-round schooling.
Incumbent board member Kerry Corino was on the defense, brashly responding to all suggestions that “private schools can pick who they want; public schools cannot pick who they want.” To me, this is a completely unnecessary response to an important issue, as well as somewhat insulting.
It seems that our incumbents suggest there is no solution, and the one candidate otherwise, Henry Lane is suggesting undesirable solutions.
Oh wait—
I forgot to mention one candidate presented, Larry Dorman, all he said was he just wants everything to work out.
Yikes. I hope others read this article and find this just as appalling as I do.
I really beg and hope more information is presented on these candidates, because reading about this debate made my stomach turn.