The Mehlville Board of Education Meeting on Oct. 12 was a demonstration of community awareness as more than two hundred community members, staff, and students turned out to state their opinions and show support for the students of Mehlville.
Miffed by comments made by board member Rich Franz at the Sept. 27 board meeting, roughly 25 speakers rebuffed Franz and stated support for a tax-roll up. In addition, they also spoke out for the children, not only their children, but for all of the children in Mehlville schools.
Many speakers, most being parents or grandparents with children in the district, commented that Mehlville students need a competitive edge against other competing schools for jobs and college; they stated that benefits for the children correlate with benefits to the community, and current situations are not beneficial. This unity of opinions and solid line of defense offers a glance into the true ties of our community.
The sizable turn out to the board meeting and the genuine care that reflected through the comments of the speakers demonstrated the ability of the Mehlville community to act. An issue, though, had to cause this action. The defense of these community members for the students is admirable, accepted, appreciated, and it should happen more often.
The current workings of the district are dependent on the people involved; a majority of the time this only includes board members and a select few active community members. If at every school board meeting over two hundred people showed up to state their opinions, board members would not have to guess at what the opinions of the district are. Increased communication throughout the area would eliminate misconceptions that cause some of the major issues that arise for our schools and taxpayers, and ensure smooth running of the district as whole.
So community, staff, and students in the Mehlville school district, speak out for yourselves, firmly state your positions on the issues, and voice these stances to the board. Participate, and our district will be greatly improved.
