Editor:

It was both surprising and disappointing, to say the least, reading the answers of a current board member and a challenger for the same position on Martin County School Board.

Let’s review the current status of MCSD:  the district dropped from the A rating it enjoyed for years, to a B overall score, but with two schools rated D; reading scores achieved were not in the proficiency range, yet Board Member Anderson is willing to take on the task of building housing for teachers?  Is that even legal?  It is preposterous.

The assignment of a school district is to teach reading, writing, arithmetic.  Even though the district has failed, he is not weighing what strategies  might be employed to alleviate/improve this decline.  (US education has been declining steadily since the 1980s.  We currently rank 17 in reading, 20 in science, 31 in math compared to 79 countries.)

Mr. Anderson appears removed from reality.  His claim, “racial issues are at an all time high” in this country  –  which has more minority millionaires, even billionaires, such as Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neill, Tiger Woods, and so on, than any country in the world.  We had a two term Black president who is also a multi-millionaire, we have Oprah Winfrey, Candace Owens and many other wealthy and famous Black women.  The statement is offensive knowing the statistics.  Obama was elected by a majority of Whites, since Blacks comprise only 13% of this country.

His challenger displays more common sense regarding improving initial reading instruction with phonics, they way it used to be when we were at the top of the charts on a worldwide basis.  Racial issues reside in the minds of some who would have Blacks think of themselves as victims.  Ms. Pritchett realizes society has addressed and is addressing many issues on an ongoing basis.  Covid-19 was not the cause of any divide.  One result, certainly, was that the on-line teaching brought the classroom into the home whereby parents got a look at what was being presented.  Many did not like it and decided to home school, place their children in private or charter schools, etc.  Government schools should realize  competition inspires improvement.  Government schools need to improve and ought to welcome competition.  Choice is good.  Coercion is bad.

Ms. Audrey Taggart