To the editor:

As a parent, homeowner and small business owner in the Dowagiac School District, I will be voting “no” for the new school bond.

My feeling is that a new building structure will not directly improve the education level and poor academic averages of students graduating.

My children would be the fourth generation of Caseys to be graduating from our school system, and it is disappointing to see the level of education and test scores from students graduating today.

A lot of the improvements stated in the “Dowagiac State of the Union Schools” could be done for a lot less than the cost of building a new school.

Money should be spent improving the education of students first and foremost before being spent on a new building.

We have a superintendent asking for this money from us that doesn’t even live in the school district and is actively looking for work and interviewing with other districts.

From my understanding, we have had other administrators living and working from home certain days who also don’t live in the district. With the level of pay these administrators are receiving, I am not sure how these arrangements show a commitment to the school district.

Based upon the test scores coming out of the school, I also hope that the administration takes advantage of changes to state laws for tenure that would allow you to remove low performing teachers who have not improved the education of the students in their classes.Please vote “no” for the school bond until our administration improves the education level of students graduating from our district.

Tom Casey

Dowagiac