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We think there will be strong opposition to any bond <br />issue in the forseeable future because of the depressed <br />economy. Also Duke Power has asked for a rate increase, car <br />insurance is going up, and there has recently been an <br />increase in the sales tax. Many people are fed up with <br />taxes, and those on fixed incomes are reaching the end of <br />their ropes. The young people not directly affected by <br />better schools -- and some retired people -- are unable or <br />unwilling to continue to pay more and more taxes. <br />In spite of these obvious facts, the school boards have <br />decided in their collective wisdom that more schools are <br />needed, and soon. Unfortunately bricks and mortar alone <br />will not produce scholars. A broader picture must be <br />painted if we plan to ask the public to go further into debt <br />by making a large capital investment. <br />A recent issue of NEWSWEEK (Dec. 2nd) and the current <br />issue (Dec. 9th) of US NEWS AND WORLD REPORT contain long <br />articles on our public schools. We find nothing in them <br />about bricks and mortar! They remind us that it is teachers <br />interacting with students and home environments which <br />control the final product, not the sizes, types, or layouts <br />of school buildings. The obvious conclusion is that how and <br />what we plan to teach should dictate the amount of space and <br />its arrangement, i.e. the size and types of buildings. <br />