To Ms. Goodloe-Johnson:

To put a price on education is to jeopardize the future of our community's youth as well as that of the city. You sought the board's approval in late October to consider closing schools this coming June because of the state of our nation's economy. Have you considered however, that budding minds are priceless? The way that children develop, be it what they think or how they think, is not done quickly and we should not be as careless as to make any final decision regarding the future of our educational institutions in such a haste.

With such an outcry from the community, are you deaf to its passionate opposition? The issue cannot be resolved by way of numbers and digits. The issue is not quantifiable by counting funds and squeezing budgets. To address this issue, we must look at the quality of our chlildren's education. Instead of improving programs and rebuilding a deteriorating system, you choose to build on top of an un-sound foundation. Look to the roots of the problem, the struggling communities surrounding the closing schools, and what is at stake for our future.