School report shows region must improve

I opened the April 15 newspaper to see an accountability report of Arkansas schools and was simply horrified at the reported scores for our school district. We are ranked below average for the state except in the fifth and sixth grades.

Our city is doing everything possible to recruit new business, attract new families, provide new outdoor activities for all, and the one thing I feel is the most critical enticement is extremely poor. If I were thinking of moving my company or my family to Northwest Arkansas, schools would be the first thing I would check on. No matter how beautiful or fun it is to live here, and I do feel this, I would be looking elsewhere! Gentry, Prairie Grove, Farmington all score better than Siloam!

Now, what are we going to do about this? We have a fine Education Department at John Brown University and the Department of Education for Arkansas offers free resources to work with these underperforming schools. Can we immediately jump in with these sources to remedy this problem? My husband and I would be glad to help in any way as would so many others, I’m sure.

People, we need to jump on this very embarrassing situation ASAP. We are not going to feel good about contributing to any more city efforts to improve life in our precious town when our schools are ranked below the Arkansas state average let alone the averages of the rest of the country?

There is simply no excuse for this dismal report. Our children are just as smart as the rest of this country. So what IS the problem?

SUSIE GILBERT

Siloam Springs