Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor

Here is my opinion!!
There was a mention, by one of the board members, about no raise for 40 years, so, lets look back, yes some have been on the board that long.
They closed rural schools in the parish and caused the children in those communities, to have to get up, in some cases at like 5:00 am in the morning to catch the bus and not getting home till 5:00 pm that afternoon, (I am told this by parents) that is a long day for those students, especially the very young,
I question, how that is affecting their attentiveness in class, a 12 hour day is long for anyone.
We now have buses criss-crossing the parish to pick up kids and bringing them to schools, how much more is that costing, can't cost the same, when they were making short trips to local schools?
Now we look at some schools that are over loaded and students are going to school in temporary buildings, really temporary buildings!!
Not to mention the communities that were just about destroyed, because of the school closures, I know I lived in one.
After Rita, I happened to go the auditorium at Abbeville High School for meetings, while there I used the restroom, I was at disbelief that there were Urinals missing off the walls, there were commodes missing in the stalls, like half were missing.
What has our schools become, yes I am an old Great Grand Parent and believe in the old ways, but there is no excuse for not repairing our schools that is where our future people learn, learning not to repair, is learning not to care.
School board members are suppose to be there to work for the students and the community and not look for pay raises.
I don't think, most people can support a raise for someone that can't even keep up restrooms for our future adults.

Dwight Brasseaux.
Resident, Vermilion Parish