‘Against’ the LS millage

Dear editor:

Dr. Jack Sternberg wrote a fine Letter to the editor, published in Sunday’s paper. If I understand what he wrote, the Lakeside School District has a current debt (bonds) of $23 million and they wish to add another $48 million which would accumulate to $73 million. Lakeside wishes to extend most, if not all, of the current bond debt for 12 years past the date (2036) that the taxpayers were promised that it would be retired.

I believe that Dr. Sternberg is absolutely correct when he states that over $100 million will be available over the 30-year bond period for the school to use as they wish. I call that “discretionary spending” with no control by the taxpayers regarding how it is spent. This is after payments have been made toward the bond debt.

Lakeside has around 3,500 students with about 1,300 of them in high school. It appears that they spend around $8,000 per year per student. According to a US News and World Report article available on the internet, only 33 out of 100 Lakeside students are ready for college when they graduate, although they are rated the No. 12 high school in the state. There is an 86 percent graduation rate — which means that 14 out of 100 drop out.

The two-year-old performance information available indicates that only 51 percent of the graduating seniors passed the English Proficiency part of the AP College Placement test, while only 19 percent passed the Math Proficiency part of the AP College Placement test. While not all students plan (or should) go to college, it certainly appears to me that more of them should be sufficiently educated to be proficient in those two areas.

As I drive by the campus daily, it seems that I always see some kind of construction in process. It sure appears to me that a much greater effort might be placed on teaching these kids English and math, instead of placing emphasis on more brick and mortar.

I just don’t see that the taxpayers are getting their money’s worth.

I live in the Lakeside School District and I certainly will vote no on the proposed millage increase. John Grillo Hot Springs