Letter to the Editor

The death of education

At the encouragement of Gov. Mitch Daniels and Dr. Tony Bennett, the Indiana House voted "yes," along party lines (with only one exception,) to pass HB 1002. This charter school bill will serve to destroy the Indiana public school system as we know it.

We all know that few things are perfect, and the schools aren't either. Yes, there is always room for improvement. We are told by the "yes" voters that this is a move to help our children get a better education. But the facts are totally contrary.

According to statistics released by the state, ISTEP scores for 2010 for grades three through eight revealed the following:

1) Only one of the top 100 schools was a charter school.

2) Thirty-one of the bottom 50 schools were charter schools.

3) The median passing percentage of charter schools was 19 percent below

our Indiana public school system.

How then can our elected officials decide to take tax dollars away

from our local schools and give it to newly established and terribly ineffective charter schools? One would have to assume that our elected officials were misinformed, unable to comprehend, or forced to follow party lines. They each can be reached at 1-800-382-9842.

Maybe they need to tell us why they voted the way they did. How can they justify their behavior by supporting a system of failing charter schools and thereby rob our local public schools?

Steven W. Walton

Linton, IN

P.S. The average of our 5 Greene County public schools was higher

than 38 of the state's 49 charter schools.