Letters, letters, letters

The Nugget welcomes contributions from its readers, which must include the writer's name, address and phone number. Letters to the Editor is an open forum for the community and contains unsolicited opinions not necessarily shared by the Editor. The Nugget reserves the right to edit, omit, respond or ask for a response to letters submitted to the Editor. Letters should be no longer than 300 words. Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned. The deadline for all letters is noon Monday.

To the Editor:

Thank you for printing my letter (The Nugget, April 4), however I felt like the intent and tone had been changed by the edit job, and was embarrassed to have my name signed to that.

I am much more aware of your job as an editor as opposed to a proof reader.

Becky Aylor

Editor's note: Ms. Aylor's letter was edited considerably for length. It was not our intent to alter the tone, but we understand that Ms. Aylor sees this differently. Letter writers should note the word limit as described in the disclaimer above.

J.C.

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To the Editor:

Thanks to the Sisters School Board!

When the November bond lost by such a narrow margin I am sure you were tempted to try the same thing in March. Thanks for resisting that temptation and instead taking the time to reexamine all your assumptions and conclusions.

Thanks for considering building just a middle school. This was the first choice for some of us, and we appreciate your taking the time to examine this option closely.

Thanks for sticking with the plan to build a new high school. This means you won't be asking for another bond in a few years when the high school is over crowded. You are being visionary for our district, and not just taking the easy way out.

Thanks for hiring architects who helped you refine your plans. Their input helped you shave $1.5 million off the bond proposal from last November. I like saving money.

Thanks for hiring architects who have consistently built schools on time and under budget.

Thanks for pledging to return money to us by paying off the bond debt with any money saved by coming in under budget.

Thanks for taking out a loan on the old Lundgren Mill property to fix the old high school now. This way we don't have to pay any additional taxes to fix it. None of the bond money will be used for it, and it gets taken care of now before it gets worse. This is the best use I can think of for that property.

Thanks for going to the trouble of sending questionnaires to every home in Sisters. I like the idea that you care what we all think. I like the idea that you listen to us by sticking with the high school plan, reducing the cost, and giving us a lot more detail on what kind of a school we will get.

I repay all of these thanks with a YES vote.

May Fan M.D.

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To the Editor:

"School is everything!"

Just last weekend as our children and their friends were eating breakfast in our kitchen, I asked them why they thought our community needed a new school. Out flew the above response.

There are not many places in this country where you would hear such an exclamation, but as I've become involved in the schools over the past four years, I know that for most kids in Sisters, school is their center.

Just about every day of the week, the schools are bustling into the evening with sport practices, rehearsals, clubs and meetings. The commitment of the faculty, staff and volunteers and the respect students show for their school as well as each other is what makes for such a unique learning environment here.

As a mother of four children ages seven to 18, I have had the opportunity to spend a lot of time in all three schools. My initial impression when contemplating our move here was that the middle school was very cramped and rundown. Much has been done since then to make the best of a crowded, aged facility, but there are still serious limitations.

I am encouraged by the revised proposal the school board has presented to the community. It is well thought out and not extravagant, given our current situation and projected growth.

This would be a huge asset to our youth and prove to be a wise investment in the future of Sisters. Without a doubt, the proposed facility would be used by the entire community, for many years to come.

As one student said after our breakfast conversation, "There is so much in life that isn't worth the time or money; this is." I would have to agree.

Rebecca Morton