It’s about time that the light is shined on the truth about education here in Natchez.

The superintendent and school board should be duly embarrassed because of the examples set by the three well known private schools here in Natchez.

There is no denying that these private schools have consistently higher graduation rates from their high schools and consistently place more students in college with higher average ACT and SAT scores.

Discipline is not a serious problem, and the police do not have to be called to break up fights at these private schools.

Even athletes from these private schools perform better on standardized test and the ACT than our public school students.

All these accomplishments have been made in a 67-year-old school building, a 40-year-old building and a 37-year-old building.

All these accomplishments have occurred on budgets of about $4,000 to $6,000 per student educated, but our public school needs over $10,000 per student for lesser accomplishments. And now the school district is asking for $9 million additional dollars.

I will be willing to increase my taxes only after the public school system at least earns a ‘B’ rating instead of the current ‘F.’

My point is that money and buildings are not the problem at Natchez High. I do not believe that neither more money nor a new building is going to fix the public education problem here.

Until parents of public school students re-direct their attitudes toward education, nothing is going to change, and our tax dollars will continue to be wasted on a failing system.

You can put a tutu on a pig, but it is still not a ballerina.
W. Byron Garrity Jr.

Natchez resident