Area is fortunate to gain outstanding educator

Area is fortunate to gain outstanding educator
EDITOR:
The appointment of the superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Youngstown came after a six-month national search. The qualifications for this position were widely published including in this newspaper. Any qualified candidate was welcome to apply. To characterize the hiring of Dr. Michael Skube as an "inside political move" is simply not true.
The implication that Bishop Tobin will personally benefit by this appointment is a sign that a recent letter-writer does not really know him. Bishop Tobin had the courage to put the Catholic educational mission of the Church above local politics and select the best candidate from among many.
The writer, who claims to be a long-time Catholic educator, should recognize that Catholic educational leadership is more than a prestigious position or a reward for longevity. To ridicule Dr. Skube's advanced degrees is an insult to all of us who have worked very hard to earn them in our own professions. Dr. Skube will be superintendent of Catholic Schools for six counties, not only "our hometown." He will get to know it quickly enough.
What he does know and share is an understanding of Catholic education, and that is the foremost reason he was appointed. Perhaps the letter-writer should join the rest of us in applauding the fact, the problems in the Valley notwithstanding, that someone of Dr. Skube's stature is willing to come here in the first place. Isn't it it good news that a person with a proven track record in Catholic educational leadership wants to move in instead of move out? Wouldn't it be more professional and hospitable to extend a welcome than to criticize him before he has even arrived?
Yes, sometimes it is necessary to measure "homegrown talent" against others outside the area to find the best person for such an important position. Dr. Skube has proven he is eminently qualified be superintendent of the Catholic schools, and those of us who understand the challenging task he faces, look forward to his leadership.
Sister BRENDON ZAJAC, SND
Youngstown
X Sister Brendon is executive director of Pastoral and Educational Services for the Diocese of Youngstown and chaired the Superintendent Search Committee.
Supermax inmates there because they deserve to be
EDITOR:
It is my understanding that the inmates in a super-maximum prison are there because of their behavior, not their crimes. Think about this, you are so out of control that you can not be controlled in a prison setting. Yet Judge James Gwin has decided that those who work on a daily basis are not qualified to decide who has improved their behavior enough to join a regular prison population. According to the Feb. 27 article, Judge Gwin feels that & quot;conditions at the prison impose an atypical and significant hardship on inmates. & quot; My response to this is, AND...? These inmates placed the hardship on themselves. The state of Ohio did not tell them to commit their crimes, just as our government did not tell them to act so out of control that they require this type of institution. The reason they are in prison to begin with is they are unable to live within the laws imposed by society. They are unable or more likely unwilling to accept responsibility for their own behavior.
The prison is also addressing a lawsuit regarding health care reform in the institution. There are elderly in our area who cannot afford their medicine, children who go unvaccinated because they seem to fall through the cracks. Yet these people who need to be in a cell 23 of 24 hours because of their own behavior are entitled to care. If they don't get what they feel is & quot;the best & quot; care, they sue.
You commit a rape. You rob a bank. You murder. In the state of Ohio, we have wonderful attorneys like Jules Lobel who will make sure your rights are protected and you receive health care.
If you are young or old and can't afford what is given to these sterling citizens, just get in line. After we pay out the civil suits that are sure to follow, we'll take care of you.
SHANNON MURPHY
Youngstown