In appreciation of Dr. Monks and Sparta school staff

To the Editor: Okay, enough. Look at the bottom line. Our district is doing miracles with the resources we have, whether it is facilities or faculty. Do the research and you will see that we are third from the bottom in per pupil spending among the 31 K-12 DFG I districts in the state. (The state categorizes every school district into District Factor Groups, based, primarily, on the income level of the town. Sparta is an I district, second from the highest ranking.) The bottom line is we need and have very talented, creative and dedicated people working in this district. I have had the pleasure of working with Dr. Monks. She helped me with an issue, regarding my son, in a way that was professional and expeditious. After meeting several times with her, I am confident that she is a tremendous asset for our school district. I have confidence that our children will receive the best education possible, thanks in no small part, to Dr. Monks’ guidance, diligence and expertise. If you have never experienced what it is like in another district, you cannot fully appreciate how amazing our people are. They go above and beyond every day. This is apparent from the smallest thing to the biggest; walk into any building and you will be greeted with a positive attitude from students, maintenance, faculty, staff and administration. Further, we consistently have a huge percentage of students going on to higher education (the best indication, to my mind, as to the expectations and success of any school district). This is accomplished despite a great shortfall in dollars. These things do not happen by accident. We must and do attract and retain talented, creative and dedicated people for this to continue, especially in light of the shortcomings of the facilities! Dr. Monks certainly falls into this category. We are blessed to have the professionals we have. Jennifer Dericks, Jim and Sharon McCormack, Manny Goldberg Sparta