To the editor:
I am growing tired of reading about the Mehlville School District and their financial problems.
When I was a school bus driver, I had the opportunity to visit just about every high school within a 50-mile radius of St. Louis.
From my observations of students, I have a few money-making ideas to pass on to not only the Mehlville district, but to every other district interested in operating with a huge cash surplus:
Increase the price of every item in the vending machines by at least 50 percent. All students I have observed seem to have an endless supply of quarters that they pump into these machines every chance they get. Another quarter or two wouldn’t mean a thing to the students, but could be a lifesaver for Mehlville.
Set up radar in the student parking lot. In one day, the fines levied on tire-screeching hot-rodders could purchase school materials for a year.
Impose a heavy fine on those students who defy the dress code by not wearing baggy pants that droop to the knees or not wearing baseball caps backwards.
Charge students 50 cents if caught using the phrase “like awesome.” That in itself would put the entire school district in the black.
The list could go on endlessly, but just putting a few rules into effect would have even the poorest school districts rolling in money.
Harvey Meyer
Green Park
