The library levy passed as it should have, but only by the skin of its teeth. Nearly 40 percent of the voting public didn't support the levy. This shows a serious disconnect between these voters and our educational needs, and a much larger display of apathy by those who didn't vote.
I have been a tutor for 10-plus years for students from elementary through high school. I have found that reading proficiency of the students is the major stumbling block to their learning math, geography, chemistry and physics. Literacy is imperative to education, and access to books encourages improved literacy. The Kids Count report shows that only 27 percent of fourth-graders in West Virginia have proficient reading skills.
Other data in that report places West Virginia as number 47 in the country with respect to education. There is obviously some work to do by all of us.
Carl Long
Parkersburg
