Letters to the Editor 05-12

* In need of support

To the Editor:

As a concerned friend and member of this community, I encourage anyone that knows John and his family and knows that he is innocent to support him and the family through this emotional and financial hardship.

There has been an account started at Riddell National Bank in John R. Lovett's name. I would like to encourage you to donate and help the family. The family does not have the money for an attorney and it was one individual that believes in John that put up the whole $20,000 for bond. I know the family would appreciate the support and help.

Ann Myers,

Brazil

* Reader gives thanks

To the Editor:

I would like to thank everyone who helped and supported my step-dad Bob Thomas in his run for Commissioner. I know he may not have won, but he proved to some people in the community that he is a man of his word. He always tells people what he thinks, whether or not they want to listen, but he is a man of honor.

Don't county Bob Thomas down and out. I am sure Clay County will be hearing a lot more of him in the future. To those of you who thought you could "scare" him off, guess what, you didn't and one day, all the things that are hidden in closets always seem to surface. Congrats dad on a clean campaign! We are proud of you.

Becki Coltharp,

Knightsville

* NHS tennis staff, boosters offer thanks

To the Editor:

On behalf of the Northview girls' tennis team, I would like to say thanks to the following merchants for their donations to our bottled water and bottled Gatorade drive.

Banner sponsors -- Riddell National Bank, John Howe's State Farm Insurance Agency, Terre Haute Savings Bank, Caribbean Works Tanning and Wayne King Capture the Moment Photography. Also, a big thanks to Coughanowr Insurance Agency and Growers Co-op for their donations to our fund. Thanks to the generosity of the above local merchants our lady Knights tennis team have a plentiful supply of bottled water and Gatorade for the 2008 season. We also would like to say what a great job Carey Fox and The Brazil Times are doing with their coverage of our team this season.

We have a fantastic group of girls this year who are working hard to make this a winning season.

Sincerely,

Cole Kellum on behalf of the lady Knights Tennis Boosters, the Northview girls' 2008 tennis team and the coaching staff

* Reader thanks everyone who contributed

To the Editor:

Having taken a load of more than a million tabs on this last trip to the McDonald House in Indianapolis, I received a big "hug" from the lady director at the McDonald House, while all the while worried relatives came in and went out while delivering those pop tabs. This is the third million-plus delivered and our church could not do it without the help of many of you whom care. Schools, other churches, friends and concerned people phone us, drop off and collect for this, too.

I have a long-time friend whom has been bringing crushed cans of many pounds each time.

An old friend and army vet now in retirement, but still helping, Russell Barnett, whom volunteers honoring our vets when they pass on.

And he proudly collects pop cans for our cans for the children of Haiti and the rice program.

There are many of you like the fine lady whom brings me even a small shopping bag about every other week.

To all of you, we appreciate your every effort.

As about 25 cans will feed a child for a day. We never ask for your money and we don't take any money from funds raised for the rice program but our church pays for the gas, extra large plastic bags and all the monies go for the rice program for the Haiti children.

We have a mission people. Go there and spend time eating with the children knowing the facts for their every day food of rice and beans.

On behalf of our community missionary church, we thank you to those whom care.

"Sarge" Marion Eveland,

Brazil

* Candidate congratulates elected officials

To the Editor:

Let me extend my congratulations to the newly elected members of the Clay County Schools Board of Trustees.

You have been selected to determine how and if our children are educated and have been given oversight of one of the largest employers within Clay County. What is your building replacement plan? We have seven elementary schools that were built between 1954 and 1965. The school administration has no planned replacement dates, yet buildings will reach a point when they are no longer suitable to be schools. How long do we slap yellow paint on an Edsel and say it's a school bus?

Does it take a lawsuit before we make our Central Office and Transportation Office comply with the Americans with Disabiliities Act?

Over the past six or seven years, we have cut enough teaching positions to staff an elementary school, but we just hired an assistant superintendent at a salary that almost equals twice our average teacher's salary. We expend about 95 percent of our General Fund on employees yet we are reducing our front-line educators, the teaching staff. Are you going to change that?

What is your plan to limit the school corporation's legal liabilities? If there is a fire in one of our multi-storied buildings and a handicapped student or teacher cannot evacuate because they rode to an upper floor but could not leave by it because of a fire, is the corporation liable? If a student, on antidepressants that cause suicidal tendencies, jumps from the open balcony of North Clay Middle School, is the corporation liable?

I guess that the bottom line of my questioning is, are the taxpayers, parents and students going to endure another four years of "business as usual" or is the new school board going to "think outside the box" and actually deliver education to our children while controlling the taxpayer's cost?

To the rest of the citizens of the Clay Community Schools Corporation, shortly you will be asked to sign either a petition or remonstration of the school corporation's plan to renovate the elementary buildings. This is a very important decision as it determines the direction of our schools for the next 30-50 years as the opportunity will not return within that time and once we are committed, the course is set. I urge you to sign the remonstration for the simple fact that the community as a whole needs to seriously look at our school corporation and fix as many problems as possible before committing to spending money on buildings. Are we doing what we need to educate our children? With a graduation rate of 76 percent, we are failing to educate almost one in four. When we must use Capitol Projects Fund money to pay for General Fund expenses, our budget is in trouble. With the recent changes in the property tax laws, the forecast for our schools is that there will be even less money.

We need to fix our school corporation, eliminate costs and maximize education.

Leo Southworth,

Brazil