Dear Mr. Rowe and school board members,

My name is Kaya Jones. I go to McKinney Elementary and I don’t feel good. Now, there are two ways to say that. One way is I don’t feel good, I think I am going to puke. The other way is I don’t feel good about doing this.

Well, the way I am going to use that phrase is I don’t feel good about you trying to shut down the McKinney school and neither do my teachers or my friends.

Some reasons why my teachers don’t feel good about you trying to shut down the school is because they have feelings about the school and I do, too. Next is our k-prep scores. We are the third-ranked elementary school in the district! I hope you change your mind about shutting down the school!

The reason my teachers don’t want the school to shut down is because of some of the great things about it. I asked some of the teachers in the building. Here’s what they had to say:

• There is a family atmosphere because of the small school size.

• Every teacher knows every child in the building by name.

• Children get to stay in one group per grade, not shuffled around into multiple groups.

• Parent and community support.

• The school is the focal point of the community.

• Teachers can give students extra support because of the small school size.

I like my school because it is small, and I don’t need a map to figure out where I am going. I also feel like my teachers really care about my success as a student. I hope you will consider how much this decision will affect the students and staff at McKinney Elementary School.

Kaya Jones
Hustonville