Letter to the Editor

To the editor:

Being a Lindbergh Schools teacher who supported Kathy Kienstra when she ran for the Board of Education — and taught her daughter — and likewise supported the three candidates who won seats on the board, I feel that letter writer David Fox is out of line calling this election a “coup” based upon what he says will result in “…mediocre service for students …” in the future.
If he had properly completed his homework, he would have seen that Lindbergh has been one of the top districts for students over the past several years in both the state — No. 1, mainly — and the nation — Newsweek’s top schools.
He would also have noted that the average teacher pay for Lindbergh ranks 18th for a bachelor’s degree and 29th lowest for a master’s degree out of a little over 30 districts in the metro area alone. This doesn’t seem to be equitable or fair.
I have been on many committees over the past 20 years and have seen Lindbergh as always having the students’ best interest in mind.
Part of that is keeping highly qualified teachers on the payroll here at Lindbergh.
Yes, being a competitive school district is more than just student achievement. I have quite a few very excellent teacher friends who have left the district to receive much better pay.
I have made Lindbergh my home and love the families here and don’t plan on leaving.
However, I am glad we have a more balanced board now, not the “coup” that some would like to imagine it to be.
J. Denner
Marthasville
Editor’s note: Mr. Denner serves as president of the Lindbergh Missouri State Teachers Association.