To the editor:

I am a Mehlville School District parent.

I’ve been to school board meetings and I’ve been to COMPASS — Charting the Oakville-Mehlville Path to Advance Successful Schools — meetings.

I’m also an active volunteer in my children’s school. I am there daily and I see the children who walk the halls and the parents who drop them off.

I know the teachers and I interact with the staff. I am very grateful for the quality of the educators at my children’s school.

Mehlville has a diverse population. We have challenges other districts do not face.

When my daughter started first grade, over half of the students in her class did not recognize all the letters of the alphabet.

This is not the failure of a teacher, but the challenge of a population that does not have all the same advantages that others do.

Our most at-risk children are our youngest. Those are the children who desperately need services from Parents as Teachers and the advantage of free full-day kindergarten.

I’ve heard people complain that our district should be doing more with what we have instead of asking for more money.

From what I have seen, I completely disagree. I believe these educators make in-credible strides with the resources they are given. It isn’t about rewarding people. It’s about keeping quality educators and being competitive in today’s market.

It’s time we invest in our future. Proposition C is worth it. Our community is worth it.

Let’s make Mehlville School District the kind of district we would want our children to return to when it’s time for them to raise their own families.

Franchesca Peters Gindler

Oakville