The Joint Technological Education District (JTED), the subject of a vote in November, improves choices for a long-marginalized group of teens who just want to make a good living as soon as possible. Not every kid is meant to be an engineer or a professor. For these teens, pure academic scores, though important, become less crucial. But once again, our leaders immediately push the taxpayers’ buttons instead of doing some retooling.

Since we need $60,000 to initiate JTED, fire two high school core curriculum teachers or French or German teachers. We’ll need less of them if students choose JTED. No one wants to take away jobs from people, but in education, kids come first, not money for adults.

And keep it going! Don’t stop with JTED. We keep making “baby steps” that finally help all kids in about 10 years; so much for the best interests of all kids now. Thirty percent drop out. Many join gangs.

Kids should have a choice of graduating with an associate degree as they do in Sweden. I have a friend who graduated from high school as an R.N. in Houston. This is excellence also, not simply academic scores.

Once again, administrators are bragging about AIMS scores in the high school of 70 percent passing and increases of 1 or 2 percent here and there. These scores stink. They stink for 30 percent who constantly fail this stupid requirement �“ many thousands of our kids. We should vote “no” on the tax increase and begin taking the comprehensive actions for the motivation and respect of this long-neglected group of our kids. Last time, we had to vote for a new office building in order to get a few vocational classes. We can do better. Much better.

Steve Hoffman

Rio Rico