I always read Mike Anthony’s “Call the Tune” and I did so last week and he and I agree this Nov. 4 ballot is going to be chock full of propositions.

However, Mr. Anthony and I part ways when it comes to how we feel regarding the Lindbergh School District, or LSD. He believes they are good stewards of our tax dollars. I believe they feed the public half-truths and prey on folks’ emotion. This year, the new Proposition R is brought to us on the ballot regarding the overcrowded conditions at Sperreng Middle School.

True, Sperreng is popping out at the seams with students, however, the district notes this has been an ongoing problem. Over the past 20 years, LSD has sold off several different elementary schools and had taken another, Concord Elementary, and used it for an early childhood education center.

The new proposal is to reopen Truman Elementary as a second middle school and split the students. This is a fine idea and should have been done about five years ago. What the district administrators and the board members are being coy about is that the majority of these funds are going to be used to build a new elementary school. Now that sounds pretty silly since they had sold off three schools in the past.

Given the fact that St. Louis County has a decreasing population and that Concord will be taken back and used as an elementary school again, there really is no need to suggest we need to build another elementary school.

The fact is the migration of the population is to the south and west of LSD. With-in five years, any overcrowding will subside on its own. Then the board will be coming back to discuss issues of what to do with all the empty class space it will have. However, the administrators have in-formed the board they will be better serving of the community to build new in the southwest area of the district. I would ask the taxpayers to pay close attention to what is going on and to not feel guilted into acting on the new Proposition R because the district loaded up Sperreng with mobile classroom trailers.

The LSD board and administrators should be ashamed of themselves for asking the taxpayers during this depressed economy to grant them funding of over $31 million for the movement of 500 students. This is a bit excessive to say the least and our citizens of this district should come out and vote “no” in this upcoming election to these “good” stewards of our tax dollars.

Thomas L. Irwin

south county