Letter To The Mayor

Yesterday I wrote a letter to the Mayor of St. Louis. The letter is below. I will let you know what response I get. While the new Schnucks and the lofts and washington ave. are all great things that have happened to St. Louis City, the schools will forever keep it from being a place that families will flock to. Sure there is the huge Catholic contingent who live in south city and send to private school. And I had always been a proponent of the magnet school system. But it shouldn't be that you have to rely on one of those two options to live in the city.

I had looked up the public school that Jett would go to outside of the magnet program, and the reviews were horrible. I would never think of sending him to that school in a million years.

I would love to see a poll or study done to find out exactly how many families have fled the city mainly because of schools for their children. I think the numbers would be a staggering wake up call for the city.

The letter:
Dear Mayor Slay,

My wife and I have lived in the city for the past 14 years.

It saddens us that we will be moving to the county. We love our house, our block our area, but as with many of those who loved the city and then had to flee, it is all because of the schools.

I couldn't bring myself to pay for private school in addition to my taxes going to public schools that aren't up to par enough to use.

Until the school system is truly fixed I think this same thing will continue to happen, again and again.

I have many friends who did the same thing and moved minutes away to Webster, Clayton, Ladue, etc. The greater St. Louis area is full of great schools in very affordable areas.

And I have other friends who will also be moving quite soon, since their children didn't get into the magnet schools.

I hope one day this huge problem is rectified.