Meeting

Meeting

Report

Insufficient

To the Editor

The article regarding the September Washington Town Council meeting did not emphasize two of the most important points discussed at our meeting. 1) There are fifteen appointed members of various boards and commissions for the Town of Washington and thirteen of these members terms have expired, many for an extended period of time. 2) The water construction project is $69,000 in the red. t

These two matters were the responsibility of the past Town Council of which I was a member. We did not approve the minutes of the August meeting subject to a review of the tapes of that meeting. Five members of the Council would have* voted to approve the August meeting minutes as written but added the tape review provision to satisfy Mr. Lynch and Mr. Gooch.

The August meeting minutes presented to Council at the September meeting for approval were in my opinion correct.

Mayor Willis has shown more attention to detail than I have ever witnessed before in town government. This attention to detail will serve the town well as it fills the board and commission vacancies and handles the water project’s red ink. He deserves fair1 and balanced reporting from your paper.

NEWBILL MILLER

Washington

Special Ed

Kids Need

New Wing

To the Editor:

I am concerned about the possibility of the K-2 Special Education class being excluded from the wing containing the rest of the K-2 students.

I understand that the decision to place two third grade classes in the new wing instead of the age appropriate Special Ed class, is based on the fact, that the room size in the new wing is larger then those in the old building. It is more cost effective to have 25 students in a room that size. There are nine students in the K-2 Special Ed class.

How do we equate dollars and square feet to the “Individual Needs” of Special Ed students? Imagine the diversity of needs. Wheel chairs and other theraputic devices need space. Some emotionally disturbed children require physical distance from other children. There are problems with containing hyperactive children that space would remedy. A distraction free comer is nessesary for the attentiondeficit child-there are five such children to provide for. There are several grade levels receiving services in the same room requiring division into appropriate groups. A Special Education class requires more space for fewer students. Its not cost effective; its learning effective.

If, after Dr. Gangle reconsiders his decision, the Special Ed K-2 class receives the place in the K-2 wingthere will be no wasted space.

KENNETH B. SHANKLE,

Sperryville