Don't lay off Dist. 202 teachers
Leave the school District 303 teachers alone and lay off the school superintendent who tried to raise our property taxes to pay for new schools in the middle of a recession.
Get rid of the entire school board that signed off on that stupid move. They are the problem.
Look around District 303, see all the "For Lease" signs around town. Empty buildings don't pay taxes.
This so-called school board better realize that it isn't going to get better around here anytime soon. Come up with a plan, let the citizens look at your budget. I bet we could come up with 5.5 million in savings without laying off teachers.
The teachers do a great job in our schools and are not the problem. You can find millions of dollars of waste and programs that are not needed. Get rid of all the assistants that make six-figure incomes. The $250,000 our superintendent makes, along with all the secretaries and assistants, would be a nice place to start.
Our teachers deserve better.
Ron Klamert
St. Charles
Tighten belts in the BeltwayI firmly agree we need a freeze on government spending. I think this should include no salary increases for the elected people we send to Washington. I live on a budget, and senators and congressmen can figure out how to do this, too.Stop fighting among yourselves and get our nation's problems solved. Stop worrying about your re-elections and stop taking so many recesses. Ever heard of completing tasks?And finally, how about enforcing the laws already on the books, instead of creating new laws? Those new laws need money to enforce and that would mean more government spending.Let's take care of the huge problems we have now. Mortgage concerns, fixing our roads and bridges and enforcing our immigration laws comes to mind. Washington, pop that bubble you live in and get back to the real world.Sue KendallElginThanks for making Christmas specialThe 2009 Marine Corps Reserve Toys For Tots Program has wrapped up for the year. Due to the economy this year, the program opened slowly and floundered for a while.When it seemed that the program was going to have trouble reaching its goal of providing toys to the organizations and individuals who had made contact with the Toys for Tots for help, a plea was issued and, as citizens of this great nation always do, the public and private sectors stepped up and the toys began rolling in.Thanks to the generosity of individuals and businesses, we were able to meet our request at the local level. Admittedly, some of the distribution was late in going out, but in the end the children were able to enjoy a Christmas that they might not otherwise have had.On behalf of those children and the Fox Valley Toys for Tots program, I would like to thank each and every one of the donors who gave so generously this year whether with toys or funds.Don HainesCommunity organization coordinatorSt. Charles