Dear Editor,

Proudly, I am a senior at Frankfort High School, but now I find myself stunned by the allegations recently made against our school and district. I assumed that my fellow seniors in surrounding schools had been taught, as I was, to share their views in a kind, open-minded fashion. However, a few students must have missed that lesson since they recently made untrue accusations based on misinformation.

Frankfort Independent Schools has a longstanding tradition of excellence. Second Street School and Frankfort High have seen consistent success on statewide standardized testing despite the fact that our district houses a remarkable 70% free and reduced lunch population. Apparently, the "outdated-ness" is the perfect remedy for helping kids succeed in learning. Also, neither school is a factory producing test-taking machines. As students, we learn more than the common curriculum. Faculty and staff truly care about the achievement of every student and work to ensure that NO CHILD is left behind regardless of ethnicity, socio-economic background, or inherent capabilities.

I am confused by how someone can say that OUR school, "is much worse in terms of behavior, educational value, and efficiency," unless that person has at one time been a student at OUR school. As far as behavior goes, the Class of 2008 has not had one physical fight since sixth grade. Second Street and Frankfort High are safe schools: bomb threats, fire alarm pranks, and weapon possession does not occur; also, neither school has seen a need to hire a cop.

Though our district experiences such success in discipline and academics, our recent budgetary concerns trump our achievements. Money, money, money"it seems to dictate so much. Yes, we have buses that need fixed occasionally which go to the county bus garage for repairs. But FCPS does not pick up the "tab" for us. It is my understanding that our district compensates FCPS for this work. Even when we dipped below the state mandated contingency rate of 2%, we provided for ourselves, and now after a year of Diane Cobb's leadership and guidance from the state we have made our way back up to a healthy 5% contingency. Even during these troubles, our district continued to meet the needs of EVERY student.

In closing, let me make it clear that I am extremely opposed to the idea of a merger. I BELIEVE in choices and I BELIEVE in the Frankfort Independent School District.

Sincerely,

Sam Crowe
Frankfort High School "08