Your letters for Sept. 20, 2024

By NewsPress Now

Your letters for Sept. 20, 2024

Sports betting and school funding

Haven’t we heard this before, if we pass a bill, i.e. lottery, it would be a windfall for schools, and now here we go again, pass the sports betting bill and see all the money going to schools. Well, fool me once shame on you, fool me twice and its shame on me. I guess we pass the sports betting bill then SJSD won’t need a bond issue to build two schools, which we don’t need, because of all the money they are going to get from the sports betting bill. This way the city could just give Lake Contrary the $7 million earmarked for an indoor pool for all those poor people living on the east side so we working folk can have a place to swim.

Michael Stephens

St. Joseph



Two high schools in St. Joseph

is going to happen

The Board of Education will restructure the district to feed into two high schools. This is the long term plan approved by the Board. There exists an opinion within the voting public that if the bond issue for a new high school is defeated then the three high schools will continue. That is not true.

There will be two high schools. The public can vote to assure that one of those high schools is new. If the bond is defeated then Benton or Lafayette will be closed. The two remaining high schools will be updated to handle a student population of approximately fifteen hundred students.

If the bond for a new high school is approved, it will take two plus years to complete. There is a significant difference in educational opportunities when Central is compared to Benton and Lafayette. That inequality must be addressed before the 2025-2026 school year. All high school students deserve equal access to all educational opportunities. The Board of Education must require the administration to complete redistricting to have all elementary schools and middle schools feed into two high schools. The Board of Education cannot allow this inequality in educational opportunities at the high school to exist any longer. The plans for redistricting must begin now and be completed prior to the 2025-2026 school year. This is your responsibility. Just do it.

Dick Schott

St. Joseph