Letter: Student performance scores

Dear Editor:

It’s disappointing that Heather Leatherman and her “Team for Change” colleagues are running for school board on a platform of extreme partisan attacks, misinformation and outright lies. It’s insulting to voters and makes it difficult to separate fact from fiction. That’s why it’s time to set the record straight about one topic in particular — student performance scores.

Contrary to Leatherman’s negative and unequivocally false accusations, Carlisle’s performance scores are not “trending down” or in decline — in fact, our scores are on the rise thanks to effective recovery and intervention initiatives enacted by the current board and school administration over the last three years. Furthermore, if you compare our most recent scores regionally, statewide and nationally, you find several facts which prove we are moving in the right direction:

• Carlisle High School ranks in the top 10 (No. 9) of the 32 regional high schools in the Harrisburg Area, the top 27% of all high schools in the state, and the top 27% of schools in the nation.

• CHS scores above state averages in mathematics, reading and science.

• 69% of our students are proficient in math — beating Cumberland Valley, Big Spring and others.

• 82% of our students are proficient in reading — tied with Cumberland Valley, and higher than Boiling Springs, East Pennsboro and Big Spring, just to name a few.

Is there room for improvement in any of these metrics? Of course! But to knowingly spread lies about the school district they hope to represent only proves Leatherman and Team for Change are uniformed, unqualified and untrustworthy. They will say anything to win an election, and that makes them undeserving of your vote.

On Nov. 7, I encourage my fellow citizens to vote for the team of Paula Bussard, Bruce Clash, Joe Shane, George Stroud and Jon Tarrant for school board. They will govern with truth and experience.

Rick Galena

Carlisle

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