Akron schools let niece down

Does our Columbus Board of Education know much about Akron Public Schools? My only knowledge or dealings with the school district is the education history of my niece. She is a recent graduate who was a member of the school’s National Honor Society. That sounds great and we are proud of her but she could not pass the Ohio Graduation Test until her senior year, which was not her first attempt.

My children passed the OGT their sophomore year of high school on their first attempt and they were no honor students. After postgraduate testing my niece was found to have a sixthgrade reading level. It also took her six times to pass the test for an Ohio Driver’s Learners Permit.

I know this is only one example/one child but I hope our board does its homework and has higher expectations for the graduates of the Columbus City Schools.

M. Lewis Smith Columbus garage. The $5,480 cost of their peace-of-mindenhancing steel shelter that can withstand winds of up to 150 miles per hour points out a nice feature that homeowners should consider to protect themselves from severe weather.

The story also pointed out that the nation needs more immediate protection from mindless spending of precious tax dollars for things that have absolutely nothing to do with the core functions of a government more than $20 trillion in debt. The rebate offered the retired couple certainly helped them sleep easier knowing that an average year sees 17 tornadoes in Ohio. But the $4,110 they received in taxpayer-funded rebate incentives should make the rest of us have difficulty getting a peaceful rest.

The current debt burden per American to pay off the massive borrowing of the federal government exceeds $60,000.

Certainly there are better uses for the borrowed money that Washington seems incapable of managing with responsibility than helping a couple feel safer from tornado strikes that are as likely to hit them as they are to win the Powerball. Perhaps a road, a bridge, or a tutor for a kid that one day might pay taxes if successful in life.

Richard T. Brown Plain City