Editor: I have sat back and seen Dan Wells and his wife, Anne, bash the Jefferson School District board for many years. I finally feel compelled by their latest attack to respond. We were elected to do a job that is unpaid. In my opinion, Mr. Wells is constantly argumentative and insulting to other board members, our wonderful staff and me.
The public elected me and I feel a strong responsibility to the public and the children who we are educating. Our teachers, principals and staff are a highly qualified group of professionals. We give them responsibility for caring for our child on a daily basis.
The extra money that Mrs. Wells referred to in her Monday letter to the editor, "New low at Jefferson," is being designated to the various school departments. This money will be used to benefit each student in some way or another. The original lists that the schools submitted to the school board included items such as dyslexia intervention, math tutors and library books. The schools must bring back a list to the school board for final approval before they spend any money. It is important for the taxpayers to know that we take any spending of money very seriously and do not let the sites spend money "as they see fit."
Michelle Mercer, Jefferson School District trustee