Letters to the Editor

Holding schools to a higher standard

To the Editor:
    I read with interest the letter from Mr. Steven Corbin, “School ‘bored’ meeting,” (Oct. 6-12) regarding his attendance at a recent East Rockaway school board meeting. 
I am a lifelong East Rockaway resident that raised two daughters in this village who are now married and have chosen to live and raise their children in our village as well. Both my wife and I, our daughters and two of my grandchildren attended St. Raymond School, and because of that we had little interest in the academic accomplishments — or lack thereof — in the East Rockaway school system. That, however, that has changed since my two grandsons transferred to Centre Avenue Elementary and the high school.  
  For a long time I have noticed the poor performance of the high school students on the standardized tests required by New York state. Most times the only school systems to score lower than ours were the Freeport, Roosevelt, Uniondale and Hempstead districts. While lower income levels and a larger minority population are contributing factors to the results in those districts, the same demographics do not apply here in East Rockaway. I do not believe the quality of our teachers is lower than other districts, and they certainly are paid salaries that are comparable to surrounding communities. 
  Prior to now my only connection to the public school system was my paying in excess of $5,200 per year in school taxes to a system I voluntarily never used. Now I have a vested interest in the product that the system turns out and I want to know why our school students consistently rank so unfavorably when compared to other similar districts. 
If we all thought of the thousands of dollars we are paying in taxes as tuition to a private institution, I’m sure we would hold that school to a higher standard and demand they produce a better educated student.
 
Peter F. Dixon, East Rockaway