Schools both reflect and predict a nation’s course.  As go the schools, so goes the nation.  Schools are only as good as the men and women who set and implement the philosophy and policies that guide teachers.

American school boards are elected by residents in each school district.  That has been tradition.  However, contemporary boards ought to consider practices of boards in 1831, when trustees were held accountable for the manner in which students were taught to be competent in phonetic reading and mathematical computation skills, behavior based on Judeo-Christian principles, and knowledge of the U.S. Constitution.  Every board member was required to visit every school at least once a month, and to make an annual report to the community regarding whether teachers were, in fact, teaching children as required by the board of trustees.  Those practices in 1831 elevated America to the top of the world stage.

Local residents ought to select school board members who actually visit schools to assess whether teachers and administrators are, in fact, doing their duty to ascertain that children are being equipped via textbooks and classroom practices to participate as competent members of American industry and culture.  Sadly, too many contemporary school boards are reoccupied with such things as athletic records, social fairness issues, teacher bargaining rights, and student scores on state exams.  Scant attention to given to the essentials that constitute well prepared citizens (such as the priorities established in 1831).  Consequently, contemporary culture reflects (and is predicting) an American culture marked by illiteracy, domestic chaos, and un-employability in the free enterprise system.

Respectfully,

Ronald E. Johnson

Zephyr, Texas