Re: RE: Plan To Move Students Upsets Stokes County Parents

Said parents will not ask the obvious follow-on: how it comes to be that almost two-thirds of the tax money spent in Stokes County goes to the schools, yet still they continue to suck out loud and off-key? Given that, what prospect do we have that even more money will improve the situation?

A few disclaimers here before I begin: I don't know how the Stokes County Board of Education chooses to spend their money. I'm not a teacher and I've never experienced a teacher's many situations in the classroom, so I can't say for sure. But it is my opinion that when there's a problem in an educational situation, it's most always about the quality of the majority of teachers involved. Note that I said 'majority,' not all.

If too few quality teachers are hired to work for struggling school systems, the problem will never be solved, no matter how money is spent on buildings, materials, and other stuff.

Idea: Why shouldn't taxpayers invest (or the school board redirect) their money (or their budget) toward recruiting the best teachers currently graduating from teaching programs throughout the state? Sure, keep taxes low as possible; that will be a valuable part of your sales pitch to these young, eager achievers. "The cost of living is low, property is cheap, and the lifestyle is easygoing. You can have a nice home for half of what it would cost you in a Charlotte suburb — and a solid career as a teacher if you become a part of the solution." Hire a couple of super-talented, knowledgeable college recruiters — surely a much smaller cost to the school board than most important expenditures are — and really have a go with it. I think that Stokes County citizens would be surprised at how many more bright and enthusiastic college graduates would come to live and teach in their neighborhood if it were only better advertised that such a situation existed.