To the editor:

I have read with great interest the recent reporting on the Mehlville School District’s financial and academic challenges.

I have to say I was surprised to learn of the low Missouri Assessment Program scores in math and English because for years we’ve been told that we are a top-performing school district. This is particularly concerning as half of my grandchildren are in the Mehlville School District.

I decided to do some checking myself and learned in the school year that ended in 2014 only 69 percent of Mehlville students took the ACT and their composite score was 22.4. This information is from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s database.

The minimum ACT score required to enter Mizzou is 24 — per its admissions website. This is very disappointing to say the least.

This is the time when, as leaders of the district, the board must demonstrate good judgment by choosing a candidate who has extensive experience in a high-achieving benchmark district.

Rather than rubber-stamping past practices, they should raise the bar.

I hope they are up to the task at hand and do not squander this opportunity.

Bill Zobrist

Oakville