Dear Mr Pickrum, Mr Fithian, and Mr. Short,
We have lived in Kent County for about a dozen years quietly paying our taxes and watching the School District struggle to improve itself against great odds. Those odds should not include our County Commissioners. We were ashamed of our Board of Commissioners when we read your comments from a few weeks ago disparaging our schools.
You talk about economic development and attracting more jobs to the county. That can’t happen without an excellent school system and an excellent school system can’t happen if school funding is always on the chopping block. The benefits of excellent schools reach far beyond the individual students and their families.
38% of the County budget puts us well below average for the state. Our teacher and administrator pay is way below average. Our spending per student is at the bottom of the heap. In spite of all the efforts of the administrators and school board, this is a downward spiral. You are pulling the rug out from under the efforts that have been showing measurable results. You can’t expect the schools to improve without giving them the resources to do so.
We are now retired and on a fixed income but we would rather see our taxes go up than see you slam the door in the face of the School District to the detriment of Kent County once again.
We hope you will reconsider.
Mary Lou Troy and Fred Kaiser
Rock Hall
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