To the editor:

In my opinion, the Mehlville Board of Education has made a student-centered, fiscally responsible decision in retaining Superintendent Terry Noble.

In the past few years, I have seen Mehlville make a remarkable transformation for the better. The very first school board meeting I attended several years ago could be compared to a really bad Jerry Springer Show. Now it is the complete opposite. The school board, superintendent, district administration and teachers are all working together to provide our children a world-class education.

A leadership change could have completely altered the direction of the school district.

A lack of continuity in district leadership can have a significant negative impact on staff morale and the budget, which will then hurt student performance and test scores.

As history has proved, we can’t afford any more mistakes by hiring a less-experienced superintendent to save money because it will end up costing us in other ways.

Mehlville has experienced firsthand the downfall of poor educational/fiscal leadership by past superintendents. The fact that there is an economic downfall reinforces the idea that we need continuity in the visionary direction of our school district.

I want everyone to look at the archived opinion letters and past articles in the Call and maybe your opinions will change. Do you remember the Mehlville School District that had a closed-door policy that did not communicate with concerned parents? Well the current superintendent and school board are responsive and have an open-door policy.

Mehlville has made many positive changes and has a visionary educational plan to lead our students to success. While many will look at Mr. Noble’s salary as a cost, I see it as an investment in the future, an investment well worth making.

Virginia Antonacci

Oakville