Letters to the Editor

February 22, 2008 01:48 pm

— Dear Ada Citizens –
As a mother of three children in the Ada School System, I feel I must speak up regarding the current bond issue.
If passed the bond issue will construct, furnish and equip a new Pre-K/ Kindergarten Center. The new school will be built on 17 acres of land. Without the land being donated, the district would never have been able to afford to purchase such a prime piece of property.
The bond issue will also allow for renovations to Willard, increase seating capacity at Ada Junior High Cafeteria and will provide air conditioning to cafeterias/gymnasiums at Hayes, Washington and Willard Grade Centers.
Most important, the bond will provide security upgrades to the elementary and junior high sites. As I listened to the news today, I heard of yet another school in Kentucky in lock down. As is becoming a common trend in the United States, a person with a gun simply walked into a public school. Let’s face it; Ada does not have the innocence that we would like.
It is imperative that our schools get the security upgrades so badly needed. Parents need to feel that they are sending their children to a safe school. Children, who even as we try to shelter them, read and hear the news. They need to feel that they are in a protective and safe environment. If security is upgraded, potential failures of what is now a “make-shift” security system will be reduced, thus allowing for a more productive educational environment.
Please vote to pass the bond issue. The children of this area deserve a safe, well-maintained school system.
Melanie Carson