School board should do the right thing

To the editor: I would like to express a portion of my views on the issues of the possible closing of Pennville Elementary School.

I grew up and went to school in Pennville and was a Jay County resident for 28 years. After living out of state for more than 12 years, I moved back two years ago and found some changes.

The park had been totally updated, which I found totally impressive. The fire department had made improvements, was well-staffed and still active, as were the first responders. The Masonic Lodge was showing growth and sponsored the students of the month at Pennville Elementary. The I.O.O.F. was fully functional still, not to mention several new businesses.

There are still several activities (Cubs Scouts, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts) for children, as well as soccer and baseball leagues.

There is one issued that deeply bothers me, and that is the issue of closing the school.

The thought of consolidating elementary age kids is just not the way to go. I personally feel they will do better in a smaller, more personal environment and are better able to get the fundamentals installed in them to proceed in a more successful academic career. This is not to mention the case of a child having a slight learning curve that can be caught and addressed in a smaller and more personal environment. I also feel that these kids, by consolidating, are going to end up with longer school days that will add more stress on them with longer bus rides.

I recently attended the meeting that the school board held at the Pennville Elementary gym and was far from impressed with their reports. How can you compare statistics from 1965 against 2017? These two eras are not even comparable. Not to mention, a local man stands up and provides working solutions that I feel fell on deaf ears.

It’s not these kids fault that your administration and former superintendent made poor financial decisions. There are options to cut costs without closing this school and hurting the entire community in the process.

What happens if you close Pennville? Is Redkey or Dunkirk next? How many students are you going to lose to other school districts?

You say you care about the children and the community. If that is the case, stop blowing the smokescreen that you are trying to feed everyone. Step up to the plate, do the right thing and make this work.

Thank you.

Stephen Betts

Pennville