Grant approval for school's athletic fields, classrooms
Published March 21, 2004
Re: Figures may cancel athletic field debate, March 17 Times:
Editor: I have read and listened to the debate surrounding the controversy over the athletic complex vs. classrooms at Nature Coast Technical High School. It seems to be crystal-clear on the solution: Build them both.
Everyone who is concerned with the best educational opportunities for their children would agree that additional classroom space is needed as the population increases and we are faced with the unfunded mandate, the class size amendment.
The governor's own projections in the new state budget indicate that funding for teachers and facilities will increase from $500-million to $900-million to comply with incremental class size downsizing.
However, we cannot overlook the fact that this school, which must spend the $2.9-million collected from the recently sunsetted half-cent tax, is incomplete.
As parents of a student-athlete at Nature Coast, we have all been encouraged to get involved in booster clubs and raising funds for the sports, which for baseball, football, softball and track, are all contested at far-flung destinations, such as Dunellon, Tampa, St. Petersburg and Ocala.
For practices, student-athletes are bused or asked to provide their own transportation to other high schools or the YMCA, adding to their day, diminishing family bonding time and decreasing valuable study hours. These bedraggled youths, sometimes returning home at 10 or 11 p.m. or later, are shouldering an incredible burden, with no home fans to cheer them.
School Board members should heed the anguished calls for an equal playing field, both in the classroom and on the track, the gridiron and the diamond.
We urge the board to approve the athletic complex, scaled down if needed, and also begin the construction of the classroom addition. It's a veritable "win-win" for all.
-- Patrick D. Erbe, Spring Hill
Notre Dame offers both quality education, values
Re: Tuition prized more than students' health, March 12 letter to the editor from Linda Woodall:
Editor: I have three children at Notre Dame Catholic School because it is small, beautifully treed and has excellent qualified and certified teachers, sports and an incredible computer lab, to name a few reasons.
Yes, we have some portables in addition to our building. Like other schools, public ones included, the school has grown since it was founded in 1985. We survive mainly on tuition, church subsidy and one fundraiser per year. Catholic education is a choice. Mrs. Woodall's daughter has attended this school since 1998. She had a choice to stay or leave. She must have felt her daughter received an excellent education with a solid foundation to stay this long.
In addition to our academic excellence, we are proud to bow our heads to our Lord every day without criticism and to salute our American flag, keeping our soldiers in our prayers.
-- Debbie DeMaria, Hudson
County doesn't need complex emergency center
Re: Tax vote deflates building proposal, March 16 Times.
Editor: Let's scrap the Emergency Operations Center plans, too.
It would seem that some of our officials got the message on election day - cut spending. Others, however, are completely ignoring the voters and are still pursuing their spend-spend-spend policies.
We don't need an elaborate Emergency Operations Center (EOC). According to a Channel 10 weatherman, the last time a hurricane hit the Tampa area was in 1921. That's 83 years ago. The worst weather we've had was the no-name storm, which hit without any warning from our weather gurus. We don't need to spend millions on an EOC when any one of our empty stores (Kmart, Wal-Mart or Service Merchandise) could fill the bill. We build Taj Mahal schools; imagine what they'd do with an EOC.
It seems that our know-it-all commissioners can't find enough ways to spend our tight money so that they have an excuse to raise our taxes. As I stated in previous letters, "Ax the Taxes." We shot one down. Now, in November, let's ax the taxers who are up for re-election.
Remember, if we put them back in office, they'll be back in our pockets for more tax dollars to spend on frivolous projects.
-- Art McIntyre, Spring Hill
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