Vote No on Nov. 2, to save NEVC

Dear NEVC Patrons:

I would like to make it clear that I feel there is nothing bad to be said about the Nevada R-5 School system. I would not do that. I do not believe they have anything to do with the petition to annex the NEVC R-I school to Nevada R-5. It is the Patrons for Quality Education group.

I would like to say that Mr. Wortman is not the only person in the NEVC school district that has done well with his life, and he seems to give most of the credit to other places after leaving here. We have people who graduated from the northeast part of Vernon County, whether it was Walker, Schell City, or NEVC that have done well with their lives. We have graduates that have become lawyers, judges, doctors, physician assistants, ministers, nurses, architects, teachers, social workers, counselors, superintendents, people in the military, bankers, farmers and many, many other successful business people in all areas of life. A good parent is successful in this day to be able to raise a family.

Does that sound like they went to school in the northeast part of Vernon County? Because if you listen to some people, who even went to school here, you would not believe it. We can prove it! It really doesn't matter what your job duties are. If you want to be successful, you can and will be successful. You really cannot blame a school for not getting a good education if you did not apply yourself, no matter what school you attend.

Now, if you would come to the northeast part of the county you would see that we are intent on keeping the NEVC school open, and we are working very hard to accomplish that goal.

NEVC is fully accredited and we have no problems there. Our test scores have no problems, and you can go out to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Website and check our overall status, as well as that of the surrounding schools, which we outranked on our yearly progress.

There is no outlook for us to be consolidated in the future. Just the "Patrons for Quality Education" group trying to do away with our school and trying to annex us, whether we want to be or not; so, we are in the fight for our lives. I do so hope they have awakened a sleeping giant and the voters will go to the polls on Nov. 2 and vote NO to keep NEVC open.

We have many academic activities, and our students excel at the national level competing with larger schools. These activities include: FFA, FBLA, FCCLA, FACS, National Honor Society and Vo Tech.

We also offer free college credits at NEVC High School. We have had some who have graduated early and gone on to college before their senior year. What an accomplishment! We also have athletics, even though by reading certain letters you might not think that. We have basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, dance team, choir, and cheerleading. NEVC High School is also an ACT testing site to enable students of NEVC and surrounding schools to take the ACT test. The NEVC R-I High School has also been recognized as second in its class by 417 Magazine.

As far as our computer labs go, we have up to date computers and printers. New computers and printers were just purchased last year with grants that our teachers obtained for us. There are just problems with the wiring as far as the networking and the capability of handling the computers. We will just have to have the wiring updated along with the rest of the remodeling that will be done. Bids are being taken. NEVC has the latest computer technology and they do have business classes and students also attend the Vo Tech. One of the teachers at the Vo Tech told me that a student from NEVC is a very skilled and bright student.

The students have after school programs at NEVC, such as the Reading First program, summer school, the annual tractor pull and trips during the summer.

Obviously, some things are not checked out too well for OUR children. Maybe it has been too long since some of OUR children have been in school here!

If you want to see or witness discouragement, ride home in a car after school with a 10-year-old and a 6-year-old asking you: "Grandma, why do those people want to take away my school?" "Are we going to be able to keep our school?" and "We like going to school at NEVC."

My answer is, "I sure hope so and I am doing everything I possibly can!" I wish, you, Mr. Wortman, Mr. Hughes and Mrs. Cubbage could come and ride in that car and answer my two grandsons and answer them honestly about why you are doing this. Is it because you care what kind of education they are getting? It seems to me they are getting an excellent education. Or is it because you want to save yourself a few dollars in taxes? Now, I am not talking their discouragement, because this is an almost everyday question and answer session. it is my discouragement for having to answer these questions because of a petition that should of never happened!

Now back on track, the NEVC School Board did not increase any tax levy at their school board meeting and there is no tax increase on the Nov. 2 ballot. We are not planning on building a new school and the land is up for bids. We are only asking that the patrons of NEVC not annex this school into Nevada R-5.

You, the NEVC R-I voter, will be the determining factor of who will decide the fate of our school. This time though, you will have to VOTE NO to keep from annexing the school on Nov. 2. Please save our school. Do not let the Patrons for Quality Education fool you. This time there is no new school on the ballot, no tax on the ballot, and if you don't vote NO, we will not have a school. SO VOTE NO!

Thank you for your time,

Alberta Hays