Dear Editor:

I am a graduate of the Gallia County school system. I also have children in the Gallia County school system. We as parents want the best for our kids. We want them to have it better than we did. We try to buy them the best shoes, the best clothes, the best of whatever it is that they need, and that is great - there's nothing wrong with providing for your kids.

But, when it comes to schools, I think we have dropped the ball, so to speak. We have kids in makeshift classrooms that weren't intended for classrooms; we have kids sitting in buildings that have no air conditioning. When it rains, we have kids walking around buckets in the schools that are catching the drips of water from the roofs. What I'm trying to say is our buildings are falling apart right before our eyes.

If we want our county to grow, we need new schools built, and it won't be cheap. But, if we wait, it won't be any cheaper. What kind of a price do you put on a kid's education? The trend is when the kids graduate, they have to move in order to find jobs; that means our kids won't be around here to enjoy.

So, if you think about it, these new schools will affect not only our kids, but their kids and their kids' kids.

In our day and age, education is a must. As caretaker of the future, it is our responsibility to step up and do our part for the future of Gallia County. We have new schools built in every county around us for miles. And what kind of message are we sending our kids if we don't build them new schools? Our kids are just as deserving as those in other counties.

If we want our kids to compete and excel, we must give them every advantage to do their best. It is up to us to do what is right.

Bill Swain

Crown City