One hates to bite the hand that fed it, but this former Mercer Island teacher is alarmed. Why is it that our School Board is rushing to ask for so much of our money, but does not seem able or willing to give us adequate information about how it will be used?

Gone are the days, I hope, when taxpayers say an automatic “yes” to anything to do with schools. Gone, too, are the days of writing blank checks and trusting that a government entity will be wise and prudent and transparent about its intended use.

At a schools’ meeting last fall, a PTA mom pleaded, “Don’t make my child have classes in a portable!” Good heavens! I taught in a portable at Islander for 11 years. I loved it and the kids did not seem to mind. Surely I’d not have been a better teacher had they let me in the manor house! And plenty of my students got into “the right schools,” too!

School authorities, decide specifically what you think it best to do, fully explain to us your reasoning, and only then ask for our money.

Fran Call