After reading your article concerning the communications staff of the Mehlville School District, I was struck by the fact that according to you:

• More than 90 percent would prefer to receive the district’s newsletter, the Mehlville Messenger, through direct mail rather than through its current method of insertion into the Suburban Journals newspapers.

• More than 80 percent would prefer that the Mehlville Messenger continue to be published monthly as opposed to less frequently.

• More than 70 percent would prefer to receive information about the school district in the Mehlville Messenger as opposed to the district’s Web site and local media.

Since only 132 people, of which 55 were district employees, attended the session out of over 90,000 residents, I think you trumpeting these large percentages is ludicrous. Do you realize that if I give you the benefit of the doubt and consider that all 55 of the employees are also residents, that is still barely 0.15 percent of all Mehlville residents?

All of the residents to whom I’ve talked consider the Mehlville Messenger a monumental waste of postage and paper since it is basically a piece of fluff — i.e. propaganda and feel-good stories.

I would suggest that the school district send out a return-stamped ballot to each resident to see how the population really feels.

As far as I’m concerned, any resident that really wants to read that Munchkin Mickey Carroll visited Wohlwend School or that Point Elementary had a Pumpkin Run, et cetera, could read the Mehlville Messenger online.

Please tell the school district to poll the populace before wasting — even if the costs are covered by donations — any more money on publishing and mailing the Mehlville Messenger.

Mark Beck

south county

Editor’s note: As Mr. Beck correctly notes, the Call reported that 132 people — 77 residents and 55 district employees — attended the Jan. 14 session of the Mehlville School District’s community-engagement program, COMPASS — Charting the Oakville-Mehlville Path to Advance Successful Schools. As for Mr. Beck’s assertion about the Call “trumpeting these large percentages,” the Call accurately reported the conclusions developed by participants at the Jan. 14 session.