Here are some suggestions for the Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education:

• Request county commissioners assume all maintenance and construction responsibilities for schools. Two duplicating maintenance departments are wasteful. Maybe the taxpayers would take maintenance issues more seriously with a better evaluation of maintenance needs?

• Provide a better location and facility for the Rowan County Early College. Consider a charter like Pfeiffer has with Gray Stone.

• Develop a network of advocates not run by school administration that can facilitate communication.

• Offer the North Rowan community area the opportunity to have North Rowan Elementary become an innovative school district. This has to be requested and is run by the state.

• Go slow. We did not get in this mess in 10 years. It will take incremental steps to make improvements that last.

• If you are going to close a community school, offer the property to that community for purchase. The objective is education of children, not who is in charge.

• Allow open enrollment within capacity limits. Let parents decide where their children go to school. That will tell which schools need to close.

If the readers have other suggestions, let the public know. There needs to be a community discussion. We need to work together for the benefit of all.

Blending one of the highest performing schools — Faith — with one of the lowest performing schools — Koontz — does not have a good chance for success for either school.

— John Leatherman

Salisbury