REFORM: Request from local student

Dear Mr. Luna, I am a seventh-grade student at Canfield Middle School in Coeur d'Alene. During class the other day, my teacher was talking about the bill you are trying to pass. I think there are some major issues that you have not looked into yet; like the fact that cutting 800 teachers is the worst thing you could do.

I understand that we don't have enough money in Idaho, but teachers are very important because they are teaching the people that will one day lead this country. If we don't have good schools to go to and we do everything on the computers, I don't think this country is going to last very long.

Also, America is already overweight, so a whole bunch of teenagers sitting at home all day on the computer doing homework isn't going to push them to stay active. I want to be something someday, and it is up to the adults in Idaho to make sure I get the right kind of education. I don't think I am going to get that by sitting in front of a computer screen all day.

Also, kindergarten is the basic foundation of a child's life. You learn the ABC's, to read, to count and most of all you learn how to communicate with other people. I think if you start taking stuff away from our youth today you are just setting them up to fail. Going to school everyday is hard enough, but you want there to be 36-38 kids in each class! There is no way one teacher can reach that many kids' needs at one time.

I think you should leave our schools the way they are and find a different place besides education to take money from, because our teachers are not getting paid enough money for what they are doing now! Like I said earlier, please just remember that this plan could fail badly and all of our futures will be messed up!

Please remember kids don't get to vote, so please make a good decision for us!

MEGAN BRUYETTE

Coeur d'Alene