To the Editor:

Regarding the school district’s budget shortfall, rather than the proposed drastic reductions in the public schools programs and the possible closing of Central Elementary School: why is no one talking about increasing revenue? Of all the government services we benefit from, the schools are one place where we cannot put off needed spending until another year. If a student gets behind we cannot so easily make it up next year.

It is in all of our benefits to give our students the best education possible. Better education generally equals better-paying jobs, putting more money into the economy, helping us all out. Businesses don’t move into communities with poor schools. The best schools have music programs, science enrichment, and integrated programs like the A+ program at Central Elementary. We don’t serve our students well by trying to force them all into a single learning model. 

Music, sports, and A+ performance give students that might not be academically gifted a chance to shine and lead, giving them an incentive to keep working at their academics. They also provide opportunities for college scholarships. Non-revenue sports like cross-country give all team members a chance to compete and contribute. Haywood County Schools has held its own compared to other schools in the state in many of its programs. Case in point, we placed multiple students in the middle school all-region Jazz Band once again last week. Let's not cut them back.

Central Elementary has a unique program: the arts integration A+ program. It used to be a school that attracted students from other parts of the district. It’s A+ program has been badly hurt by past budget cuts, losing its full-time arts teacher/A+ coordinator, cutting back to art every other week and cutting out drama and dance specials. It’s been a testament to the teaching staff attracted to the A+ concept that it continues to be an excellent school and to perform at or above district averages most years in year-end testing. 

If a school needs to be closed because the district has lost sufficient enrollment that we don’t have enough students for all of our buildings, that is one thing, but if we are thinking of closing a good school with a unique program just to save money, that is shameful. I’ll gladly pay more taxes to keep my community’s schools a point of pride and to insure the next generation has every opportunity I had growing up or more. Put increasing revenue on the table, not just cuts.

Paul Super

Waynesville