Letters to the Editor, March 9

School board needs to restore trust

As a mother I’ve always been concerned about our schools. Recent letters in the Gateway have raised new concerns.

I thought our new school board had taken this community in a new direction to rebuild the trust with the majority that have questioned their previous bad decisions around how to rebuild and repair our school buildings. Now I learn that there is dysfunction inside the school board. The board had planned to spend thousands of dollars to take trips around the county. Members of the school board ran on reuniting all of the community but their actions show they are still preaching to just the choir. Our new superintendent is working hard but recent actions by leaders of the school board have again divided this community. As our neglected school buildings fall further into disrepair, the need to pass a bond measure to repair our schools is very important. The recent bond failure in South Kitsap shows what will happen if the community doesn’t trust the school board.

We were on a path to repair that distrust in this community, but now that trust has been lost. Our school board leaders are now a detriment to the future of our kids and our schools and unless trust is restored I am not hopeful their plans for a bond measure could pass.

Don’t let fake news infiltrate

Contrary to the opinion of the Employment Policies Institute, which was printed as if factual, in the Feb. 16 edition of The Peninsula Gateway, O’Doherty’s Pub in Spokane is not closing, although the North branch has closed due to “soft sales.” Nostalgia House in Port Orchard has expanded. Spiro’s in Port Orchard is hiring.

We hear a lot about fake news. EPI, as a front for a D.C. lobbying firm, is an expert at fake news. Some may remember that about 15 years ago there were many claims that an increase in the minimum wage would close a lot of fast food places. Look around ... has that happened?

Not only has fast food not reached the end, new ones are being built and they are constantly in a price competition.

Newspapers should stop being an unquestioning pipeline for fake news.

This story was originally published March 13, 2017 at 2:08 PM with the headline "Letters to the Editor, March 9."