South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

As board election nears, opponents declare open season on Mehlville

It’s Rabbit Season! It’s Duck Season! No, it’s Fiddler Crab Season!

If Bugs Bunny lived in south county, he would tell Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd that actually it’s “Mehlville Season!”

Here we go again — just a few weeks before the April Board of Education election, and we see repeated, negative attack letters against the Mehlville School District. It’s nothing more than a coordinated, political campaign tactic designed to damage the district, and get a challenger elected.

Using one or two data points in a misleading fashion for political purposes may turn out to be a successful strategy, but our students, parents and community deserve better — much better.

Did you know that Mehlville has a higher graduation rate, and sends more graduates to postsecondary education than Lindbergh?

Amazingly, this is accomplished on a budget that is $21 million less, on a per-student basis, than Lindbergh.

Mehlville also offers students more Advanced Placement, or AP, classes than any district in the St. Louis area. That’s right, Mehlville is No. 1 in AP courses offered. Do we have room to improve?

Absolutely, but so does every other school district in Missouri. No one is perfect.

Mehlville has thousands of highly accomplished graduates — doctors, lawyers, engineers and small-business owners, many of whom live in our area. Former Sen. Jim Lembke of Lemay and former Rep. Sue Schoemehl of Oakville are Mehlville graduates.

Our recent grads have been admitted to Ivy League universities, as well as Stanford and Georgetown, and one even spent time working in the White House.

Sadly, as “Mehlville Season!” heats up, I expect to see more negative, political attack letters. Hopefully, a wiser, better-informed public will ask Daffy and Elmer: “What’s your purpose, Doc?”

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