Schools are important to the community and to students

Schools are important to the community and to students
EDITOR:
I'm a freshman at Struthers High School. I'm writing to respond to the recent letter about the Struthers school levy. As a student and an athlete I have to disagree with the author. We have learned in our history classes that education is not a right that is guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution, but rather is a state right. A right that is un-constitutionally funded.
The writer also says that the extracurricular activities are not needed -- only academics are -- and I could not disagree more. It is a proven fact that students involved in extracurricular activities such as sports, music, drama club, etc. are more likely to experience success in the classroom. Let me remind you that the school levy in 1996 did not pass and many families were affected, including my own. Many good families moved out of Struthers and we can't have that again.
We have to keep this community strong. For other students, extracurricular activities are the only way they could financially make it to college. My uncle went to Struthers and he had to move to Poland to play football because people didn't want the school levy to pass. I like it here at Struthers and I love playing sports. I don't want to leave here or see many students' goals or dreams destroyed. Is this something we can afford to take away? The writer says it's no big deal, but to us, the students, this is a really "big deal."
Our school system has made a lot of strides lately, and as a soon-to-be sophomore I don't want to go backwards. I know people don't want their taxes to go up, but a strong school system equals a strong community. Keep Struthers strong; please vote yes on May 3 for us, the students.
JORDAN MORELL
Struthers
A facility crisis at J-M
EDITOR:
Warne Palmer, superintendent of Jackson-Milton Local School District, said it best: "We have a facilities crisis in our school district. Major repairs to JM Middle/High School cannot be delayed much longer. The state building program is a great opportunity for our residents to receive nearly $5 million in state help to fix this community problem."
The current JM Middle/High School has served our school-community well for nearly a century. The time has come to replace the building so generations of Jackson-Milton students can have an adequate facility to attend. As school board members, we are asking our voters to approve a 5.4-mill bond issue on May 3 to build a new middle/high school next to the elementary school. To reinvest millions of dollars into the original 90+ year-old building is not a practical option. We have a moral obligation to take care of our kids and provide them with a better learning environment and safer facility.
We would like to thank the people who have worked so hard to get the information out to our residents during this campaign -- they have performed a valuable community service. We also appreciate the endorsement of our bond issue by the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber.
Our community members are invited to join the JM Facilities Advisory Committee once the bond issue is approved; this group will help guide the planning, design, and construction of the new school. Our school district and communities are moving in a positive direction. The time is right; the need is now, to invest in education, our communities, and our most important resource -- our children. Vote yes May 3.
BART McGEE, President; MITCH MASCIOLI, Vice President; SCOTT BOWLES, TODD CARPENTER, SUE PATTON-KARASH
Jackson-Milton Board of Education