To the editor:

Joseph Pulitzer, founder of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, once wrote, "Always tell the truth, always take the humane and moral side, always remember that right feeling is the vital spark of strong writing and that publicity is the greatest moral factor and force in our public life."

In taking Pulitzer's lead, we would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank our community and the Jackson Board of Education for their support and commitment to our schools. Jackson is one of the very best school districts in Missouri. Our students have traditionally scored above average on academic tests because we have a community and a board committed to providing the best public education possible.

Our community and school have been under a constant strain to keep up with the growing population in our area. We believe our school board members and community leaders have met the challenge head-on by continuously planning for our future with appropriate buildings, programs, technology and staff. Their vision for our community's future has kept the welfare of the child as the No. 1 priority. They have striven to implement comprehensive programs for all students at every level, from the physically and mentally challenged to the gifted. They have remained dedicated to maintaining small class sizes at the primary level and have developed a comprehensive professional development system designed to encourage teachers to constantly improve their abilities to teach in this ever-changing world. Whatever the challenge, the school board and administration developed building programs to support and address those needs.

We appreciate our school board members' dedication and caring attitude. Due to the excellent reputation of our schools, we have produced a strong, growing, thriving economy. This did not happen because of lack of planning. This happened because of careful planning. It happened because we have a community and a school board that care. They are dedicated to investing taxpayers' money wisely by providing the very best programs at the most efficient cost.

The elementary education of our youths is the foundation of our educational program. Building a solid foundation is essential to ensure success in future years, both in and out of the classroom. Maintaining a student-to-teacher ratio appropriate for nurturing and learning through the continuation of the building programs keeps our quality of education at the highest level, which in turn benefits our entire community.

We hope the community will have the same confidence as in the past to place trust in the leadership of our school board and administration. With the community's support, our leaders remained focused on the overall goal of excellent education for all students. They have always guided us in the right direction. For that, we owe them, the community and the school board our thanks.

NORMAN THOMPSON

Principal

DEBBIE LUSH, CAROL HORST, BECKY WACHTER, SUSAN FLOYD, CYNTHIA MOORE, LINDSEY MINSON, PAM HARPER, REBECCA PETERS, CINDI HOBECK, SANDY BOLEN, TIFFINEY SMITH, KRISTI SEYER, PAT PALISCH, ROXANNA TARPLEY, DONNA ESSNER, CARRIE HOLLAND, LESLEY KLUESNER, SUSAN SKELTON, LINDA JENKINS, LINDA HITT, KAREN STURMS, SHELLY STONE, PAUL SHOREY, SHARON ANDERSON, BOBBIE REAGAN, JANICE LUMSDEN, JENNIE WEBB, JAN COTNER, CANDICE BRAZIL, TAMI NENNINGER, TARA ZELLER, CAROLYN FORD, ZACK WALTON, MATT WENDELL, KIM LANDEWEE, LISA SEABAUGH and PAM FRIEDRICH

Teachers

South Elementary

Jackson