While reading Ms. Sidley’s letter last week, the oft used phrase, actions have consequences, came to mind. [Letter titled “Dollars for schools,” published Aug. 29]
In this era of questionable funding for schools, one would think that local school leadership would keep a sharp eye on the district’s purse strings. If they had, perhaps they would not have been ever so keen to spend more than a million dollars on high intensity stadium lighting.
Just think of all the ways that money could have been used to benefit educational objectives. Take a look at the district’s budgets, and you would be very surprised to see where your education dollars end up. Do not for one second believe that these lights were entirely funded by donations. The school district gave an interest free loan to the group that demanded these lights with no mechanism for repayment.
Once again I ask, how is it that special education programs were cut to the quick, yet these high intensity stadium lights were allowed to be paid for with district dollars? When you have school leadership that values lights over learning, you might have a hard sell on the fundraising front.
Julie M. Tobias