Letters To Editor
Tech ed
I am a junior at Capital High School, currently taking two engineering classes. Capital has a very good engineering program with lots of equipment, materials and a great teacher.
The school district is moving all engineering classes to the Dennis Technical Education Center starting next year even though each high school already has an engineering program. Capital’s program will be taken from the school, and engineering classes will exclusively be offered at the center.
The purpose of DTEC is to make classes accessible to all students, yet this will make them inaccessible for many. I will not be taking the class I was planning on next year, and many other students will not be taking more engineering, either.
The drive to DTEC is over 20 minutes, taking up an extra class period for transportation. Moving the engineering classes to DTEC would not only kill the program for Capital students, but it would also make new students seeking a passion shy away from engineering.
The disadvantages that come with a class offered at DTEC often outweigh the pros. I do not want that to happen to my teacher or my school, and most of all, to the students.
Jake Peake, Eagle
Politics
As an independent voter, I think political ideology is the most dangerous thing to democracy. M.A.G.A. and antifa are basically the same crazy people who don’t respect the rule of law or others’ opinions. I would like to know how much taxpayer money all these culture war lawsuits have cost. Republicans run under the lie of small government yet want to control who you’re able to vote for and most of the time go against the will of the people. Democrats on the other hand pick losing battles over social issues that aren’t that important. Both parties have given up on fixing any real issues for normal Americans.
Tim Hinton, Garden City
Kindergarten
Idaho children everywhere will benefit from full-day kindergarten. We are the voice for these children. We can make this happen.
Our job as Idaho parents and citizens is to ensure that the issues critical to children’s lives and futures are given top priority by our elected leaders. Please text, call or email Gov. Little and your Idaho legislators and let them know that you support all-day kindergarten. It is all of our responsibility to make sure every Idaho child has a strong start in life.
If you want to see a change, you need to be the change. Full-day kindergarten can become a reality this year. Please start writing, calling and texting now!
Sylvia A. Chariton, Boise, co-president, Idaho American Association of University Women
Preschool lies
Is there no accountability for our public officials anymore? Doesn’t the truth mean anything? At a House Education Committee meeting, Rep. Dorothy Moon accused the Boise County Basin 72 preschool of teaching critical race theory. This is absurd and a lie. CRT is not taught in the Basin 72 preschool or any other school in the district. I have lived in Boise County for over 27 years, have three children who went through the Basin 72 schools, have a son who went through the preschool program and am chair of the Board of Trustees. I know what they teach in the preschool. They teach ABC and 123, not CRT. The teachers and administrators work very hard and put in long hours to try to give a quality education to their students. It is shameful for a political figure to spread disinformation to try to spread her political ideology. I would hope in the future before a political figure speaks that they would at least take the time to check their facts.
Kenneth Gordon, Boise
School vouchers
You characterize those advocating a school voucher option as a “cynical push … to get their hands on some of that sweet, sweet public education tax money.” Merriam-Webster defines cynical as “believing that people are motivated purely by self-interest.” If those advocating a school voucher option are “self-interested” what about those who already have their hands on ALL of that sweet, sweet (love the double “sweet”) public education tax money? I’d bet the teachers unions, who essentially control public education through their political donations, are a bit self-interested in the distribution of those sweet tax dollars.
William Haller, Boise