Letters to the Editor

Board members need to provide answersTo the editor: I am a resident in Arbor Ridge subdivision and am in search of answers to the following questions that are directed toward our elected school board members. Why did Mike Williams state that Harmony and Goshen would not be required to redistrict this year since they will be asked to do so in three years, and yet the board demands that Arbor Ridge and Shelburne Oaks redistrict even though we redistricted three years ago? Is it because we live on poor side of the county or are our children are just numbers. Why are low-income families in La Grange forced to redistrict to balance out the numbers of Kentucky's free lunch program between the schools? Isn't this segregation based on social economic status? Didn't the U.S. Supreme Court just make a ruling that this type of action was wrong? Why was there never a dialog between the elected school board members and affected neighborhoods prior to the proposed redistricting? Why is there still no means of having a dialog with the board? School board members are elected by the residents to meet the needs of all residents including the children. The children are our future and not just numbers to be shuffled around to meet arbitrary quotas.Brent Boon,Crestwood

Don't discourage parents from speaking outTo the editor: There was a letter from a parent with no children currently in Oldham County Schools that was savagely critical of today's parents for their opposition to the controversial redistricting plan. I also no longer have children in the system, but I have a good memory of how difficult it can be for parents to have their opinions considered.I especially object to what amounted to the writer's deification of our public servants in the school system. While there are many selfless professionals in the system who should be honored and encouraged, the writer suggested we go down on bended knee before them. The people who run our schools are just that, people, with human failings. They make mistakes. Thumb through the archives at the Oldham Era sometime and you'll get an education on the humanity of our school professionals. I agree with the writer that parents and students need to embrace change as a normal part of life. It isn't, however, normal to put our school system on a pedestal. Public employees need to be watched with a critical eye and held accountable, not anointed. The writer takes the parents to task for daring to question professionals. I would say to the parents, how dare you not? Who will speak out if not the parents? I don't oppose the unfortunate redistricting plan. But, I'm sympathetic to parents who fear retribution against their children from teachers and administrators simply for standing up. Parents should never be discouraged, or in this case, maligned, for speaking out on behalf of their children. Finally, the writer called the county school system "free." Has the writer not heard of taxes? Nothing is free.Allen Brown, La Grange

Don't wait: Put money back in Oldham nowTo the editor: We who live or work in Oldham County should not wait for the government's stimulus package checks before we decide to move on with our lives and the business of living. Why should we sit and wait for the checks? The question most asked of me is: How's business? It seems too many people have been caught up in the mostly negative news of the economy and stopped living their lives. My wife and I found ourselves caught up in this routine right after Christmas. We watched the bad news on the TV and decided we should watch our spending. The problem was everyone else did the same thing. Finally we both watched and lived the bad news on the TV. We decided the way for us to get out of the mess is to start spending again! Instead of moving to a larger home, we have decided to build on to our existing house by using our Oldham County connections. The bricks for our planned addition are to be bought from an Oldham County resident. Our HVAC man lives in Oldham County. Our electrician works in Oldham County. Our plumber works in Oldham County. Plus both our drywall man and our banker both live and work in Oldham County. Did you notice how our spending impacts the local economy? I bet most of you deal with these same people. You are their customer or they are yours. Either way, we need to start spending more money together. Turn off the TV and get back out there spending. Get a haircut. Have your nails done. Go out to eat and have desert! Start feeling better about yourself and life. Spring is coming. However you contribute, do it here in Oldham County. This way we who live or work here win! Oh, and by the way, don't get me wrong, I still want my check too!Steve Heggie, Certified Transmission & Auto Service, Crestwood

Oldham needs to focus on energy efficiency in schoolsTo the editor: Oldham County currently has nine school building projects. None of these are LEEDs (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) plans. When I spoke to the energy manager for Oldham schools, he said we wouldn't know whether they are energy star until they are built. I would like to know what our annual energy bill is to heat and cool our schools. Surely this is a number we would like to reduce. Bullitt schools are managing to get significant savings with efficient planning. Maybe initial building costs estimates should include two years of utility bills anticipated. There are a lot of smart people in Oldham County, and I don't understand why efficiency isn't a top priority!Joan Lindop, Prospect

Oldham County's proposed airportTo the editor: Our Oldham County residents are all upset over our county spending more than its income. Therefore, it must raise taxes. They're all against more expense for a new airport. They're all against any new noise from a new airport.What do they want? They want their friends to join them in more new residential subdivisions. But, new subdivisions cost the county more than the income from them. State law strictly limits the taxes on residential real estate. Every new residence adds infrastructure requirements to our county's expenses. They each require more utility expenses. Even a few new houses can add a new school classroom to our county's expenses. Even small new subdivisions can add to our county's expenses for new roads. Therefore, new residences add to our county's expenses.New businesses do not add to our county's school expenses and they are required to pay for their additional infrastructure expenses. Businesses add their property taxes to the county's income. And their insurances are added to the county's income. Businesses truly give back more in taxes than they receive in services. Therefore, new businesses add to our county's income. Our county's proposed new airport is designed to help our existing businesses grow by improving their access to the economic world. It's also designed to attract new businesses that need rapid and convenient access to other businesses and communities throughout our country and the world. Therefore, the proposed airport is designed to add income to our county. To see how general aviation is serving America please visit www.gaservingamerica.org.David Maultsby, Crestwood

Letter writer interjected with little informationTo the editor: This is a reader's response to an editorial written by Ms. Winters, published Feb. 14.How dare you to interject on a subject in which you do not have all the facts. I am the mother of three - two of which have already gone through the Oldham County school system and a first-grader at Kenwood Station Elementary. I have always been a supporter of this school system. My older kids attended school when Oldham County wasn't growing by leaps and bounds and we never had an issue of redistricting. We live right across the street from Kenwood Station and the numbers favor us to stay where we are. Since you don't have any kids in the school system, you can't begin to understand how frustrating this situation is.We in Arbor Ridge are not a bunch of selfish, snipping, disgruntled elitists - we are parents who want to maintain stability for our children. Last I heard this was America and we had a right to free speech and could question any government process.And we certainly don't get on our knees to elected school board officials! I guess it's not the same in La Grange. This matter needs to be resolved by those involved - not by outsiders who have nothing better to do.M. Minogue, Crestwood

'Walt Schumm is the best'To the editor: I would like to echo the letter about Walt Schumm from Elayne Karrel. We bought our house from Walt Schumm at Summerfield by the Lake in September 2005. We had 14 things come up between October and December 2005. Walt responded to each item quickly with actions that exceeded our expectations. We had owned homes in California before moving to Kentucky and had hassles with contractors in California. Walt was a new experience. We wanted some extra custom cabinets. He put us together with the man built the original cabinets who built two more that were perfect matches to the built-in cabinets. We had a large water spill on the hardwood floors. Walt got the original installer to match his original work perfectly. Garage door opener had problems. Fixed. Furnace made a noise when turning on or off. Fixed. We wanted a garbage disposal. Walt got the right person to install it. We wanted extra outlets in the garage. Walt got the original electrician to install them before we moved in. Walt referred us to Curry Landscaping. Keith Curry and crew did a great job and do the maintenance now. Same for Jim Greenwood for electrical work of all kinds. Jeff Lynn for irrigation. Walt has a great group of subcontractors and contacts. Walt Schumm is the best.Donn Soderquist, Crestwood

Our view of the redistricting proposalTo the editor: In response to the article by the editorial board titled "Moving Students Inevitable," and the letter to the editor titled "Parents, Change is a Normal Part of Life" by Jan Winter, let me offer this. Ms Winter starts out by insulting us as "selfish sniping ... from a position of elitist entitlement." Wow! Ms Winter, nowhere do you offer any facts but tell us to just deal with it. The Founding Fathers gave us the right to speak out. We teach our kids to stand up against something they believe isn't right. Our elected officials represent us, not do whatever they want. They respond to us. Basic civics! We're working within that system. Had they gotten public opinion and buy-in before drafting the proposal this really wouldn't be an issue. And who said education is free, our taxes pay for it. Take a stand or get down on your knees and hope for the best. We really appreciate what our schools do. With an undergraduate degree in education, and my wife taught second grade, we understand the classroom. In twenty Air Force years we moved every three years. My son lived in three states before he was 4. We know change. And while we appreciate what our schools do, real improvement in anything comes through challenging proposals and questioning plans. Cold numbers are a start. Our neighborhoods invested a lot into the school and the changes we propose improve the lives of kids, reduce transportation costs, and maintain class sizes. Keeping our kids at Kenwood wouldn't overcrowd the school. Shorter bus rides saves fuel. Less traffic at the Ky. 146/329 Bypass intersection can't be bad. Having Camden Manor stay at Camden Station compounds the savings. Just balancing school numbers sounds good, but is it really the best plan? Inevitability doesn't make it right. The Oldham Era is flat wrong. Changing our kids back won't cause any school to 'bust at the seams.' And who are you to urge anything - these aren't your kids. Based upon these facts amending the proposal has more advantages than disadvantages. And if you don't have to move the kids, why do it? The editorial board said "Moving Students Inevitable." Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, "Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle." I believe he was a stand-up guy.Joe Zaubi, Crestwood