Moore County Schools Superintendent Patrick Russo has been with the system several years, and test scores have gone up. However, the number of students taking the tests have gone down. North Moore High School, for instance, tested 31 percent in 2001 and 28 percent 2002. If administrative salaries had dropped that much, Russo would have been long gone.

I would suspect the county commissioners accepted what the school board proposed as a way of measuring accountability. However the rules were developed, I would think the administration of the school system should have the expertise and responsibility for preparing one that would be fair and measurable. It appears flawed to say the least.

If Russo thinks school employees are going to complain about anything to him or his staff, he must have arrived in Moore County on a load of melons. I have gotten many calls from employees. However, I am not a threat to them or their livelihood. Still, he says he is perplexed. This is the first year to the best of my little knowledge that Russo has aggressively asked for more money for the teachers. Makes one wonder if he feels he has reached his own personal summit.

At any rate, if the system is broken, Russo has been here long enough to fix it, and the taxpayers have paid him well to do exactly that. Russo also says he asked our schools to make sure our kids going on to four-year colleges are prepared. Now when is he going to start worrying about the students who are not going to college? Do they not count?

Jim Barber

Whispering Pines