To the editor:

Over the last two years, the Mehlville School District had made significant strides in providing a top-notch education to our children.

Board of Education President Venki Palamand and Superintendent Eric Knost should be commended for uniting a diverse school board and moving Mehlville forward with improvements of which our community should be proud.

That progress includes tuition-free, full-day kindergarten starting with the 2013-2014 school year.

It’s a proven fact that early intervention in a child’s life pays enormous dividends down the road in his or her education.

A new auditorium is under construction, something every school district surrounding Mehlville already has. This will provide a platform for many forums, the arts and classroom instruction.

State-of-the-art tennis courts at Bernard Middle School will help put Mehlville on the map, providing athletic scholarships to students going on to colleges and universities.

It’s never easy to unite any governing body, but these two gentleman have. Let’s keep it going.

Daniel S. Fowler

Oakville