Change school culture

Editor:
I read the latest article about the concerns of control of schools need to be at the local level. The state and the federal government continue to exercise control of how education money is spent. Is that really such a bad thing?
I have respect for Vandalia Community Schools Superintendent Rich Well. He is one of the few people in this city that will return your emails and phone calls. There are elected officials in this town who don’t return emails and answer letters.
With that said, I have concerns about our schools. They’re ranked one of the lowest in the nation and the state in academics.
Teachers in this local school district are going to be dealing with larger numbers of students per teacher. That means less attention each student will receive from their teacher. I’m sure the state’s struggling cash flow to school districts continues to be a continuing problem. Not to mention the high tax burden the citizens of Vandalia are already paying for education. I seem to think the more money we pay in the taxes for education, the further behind we become in academics. The job is not getting done.
I’m not saying it’s easy. The challenges in academics are not being met. Believe me, I would love to be wrong about this. On the other hand, we seem to have a thriving athletic program. It boils down to a culture thing. More emphasis seems to be on athletics than academics.
Unless this culture is changed, we are going to continue to have a cash-starved school district that is failing to meet the minimum education standards set forth by the state and federal government.  Throwing this standard out is not the answer. Changing the culture is what’s needed.
Richard Briley
Vandalia