To the editor:

I have a third-grader at Point Elementary School and have lived in the Mehlville School District my whole life.

I am an active member of our parent organization at Point and have paid close attention to the critical voices of Mehlville School District on this Opinions page over the past several years. I am here to address why I support Proposition R this November.

Since 2004, as outlined by Superintendent Chris Gaines at the August Board of Education meeting, the Mehlville School District has cut 120 teaching positions, 13.5 administration positions and made significant funding cuts for Parents as Teachers and the textbook budget.

Did you know that the Missouri Legislature is underfunding its own school funding formula and that Mehlville has lost millions of dollars per year as a result?

Did you know that if a student doesn’t get help when they are struggling with reading they are more likely to have juvenile delinquency problems?

Did you know that there is a correlation between property values and the success of the school district in which they reside? A real-estate agent in the district for many years, David Townsend, used data to determine the average home in the Mehlville School District would be worth almost $50,000 more if it were located in Lindbergh Schools.

Do we want to live in a community that doesn’t provide their children a good education? Do we want our community to become a retirement community since young families will no longer want to move here? Do we want our property values to go down?

It seems many communities in St. Louis County see the benefits in having thriving public schools and vote to support them. I pray that our community will see what a benefit this would be and rally around our school district.

A vote to support kids is also a vote to protect your property values. Vote “yes” on Nov. 3.