Let's vote on it

A referendum on the proposed student assignment district changes would ensure that the decision represents the community at large.

Board Chairman Ron Margiotta was quoted in the Aug. 27 N&O as stating to the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce that "As a business person, sometimes you as leaders must make decisions that employees and perhaps your customers don't like or understand."

This statement, and many others made by the new board members, is a fundamental misapplication of business practices to a public school system. A privately owned corporation is bound to the will of the owners/shareholders, not to employees or customers. A public school system must serve the will and needs of the entire community.

There is a precedent (and perhaps many more to be found) in using a referendum when major changes are needed in a public school district: the Pinellas School Board District Representation Referendum - for all voters. "A yes vote will restructure School Board representation to a mix of single-member and at-large districts. Supporters say it will increase diversity; detractors say it will create divisions." Quoted from an article by Kelly Ryan Gilmer, St. Petersburg Times, Oct. 31, 2002.

Paul Shaub

Raleigh