Want to make a difference? Be a member of the board

Want to make a difference? Be a member of the board
EDITOR:
Community service is a civic duty. It can be very rewarding. Serving on a public board of education requires a commitment of energy, time and talent to work as a team to help the students in our community. If you have considered being a candidate for the Youngstown Board of Education and running in the November election, now is the time to begin attending board meetings to see if this is something you would truly like to pursue.
Ohio's school board members are one of the largest groups of elected officials in the state and they are charged with one of the major responsibilities in government -- to provide the best educational opportunities possible for the youth of Ohio. No one can know the various challenges or rewards of such a position until he or she has had the experience of serving on a board of education.
A school board sets educational goals and establishes policy for the school system based upon state laws and community values. Board members make decisions on a wide range of issues, such as hiring and evaluating a superintendent and treasurer, setting district policy, goal-setting and long-range planning, developing curriculum, establishing budgets and community relations programs.
School board members conscientiously work for the best interests of all pupils and all citizens. School boards are democracy in action -- school boards work! Whether you want to consider being a candidate for the board or are an interested citizen, the Youngstown Board of Education invites you to attend a board meeting in the second floor board room of the Youngstown Board of Education Building, 20 West Wood Street. Board meetings are usually held on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month (6 p.m., open caucus; 7 p.m., formal meeting). The July board meetings are scheduled for Thursday, July 17, and Tuesday, July 22. We hope to see you there!
LOCK P. BEACHUM Sr., president
Youngstown Board of Education
White collar crooks deserve jail time as much as anyone
EDITOR:
Regarding a recent column by Gail White, I too am tired of celebrities and CEOs making excuses and money from shady dealings that netted them fortunes unlawfully. I am not against anyone getting wealthy through hard work. It is the shady dealings of some people that have me wondering why we as a society put up with such behavior. The love of money is the root of all evil.
I have an idea for dealing with Martha Stewart. I think that we can laminate varnish, repot and decoupage her. Stand her in the town square for all to see who would think that by having a lot of money from ill gotten gains would entitle them to just do anything they want and it is OK. Ms. Stewart is a fake and fraud.
There a number of men and women in this world who can work circles around Ms. Stewart. They keep house, work full-time, care for children, take care of elderly parents do any number of things for their families, etc., and don't have a "crew" clean up after them.
My mom had a 6th grade education and she did everything for her family without the help of a "crew." Mom had the talent of looking at a crocheted item and then duplicating it. Mom couldn't read a pattern, but made the most beautiful afghans, rugs and quilts you would ever see.
It is a shame that people such as Ms. Stewart, the CEOs who steal from their companies and put people out of work, aren't made to pay for their greed. They re just as guilty as the person who commits armed robbery and gets jail time. The same should happen to them.
PAT ZOCCALI
Warren