"From the community I see and hear positions that reflect personal preferences, fiduciary stances and "my community needs first" perspectives about the Jefferson School site and the preschool program housed there. Very few published comments seem to reflect a full grasp of all of the issues raised.

I believe strongly, as a citizen and as a School Board member, that an open public meeting with information sharing should be the next step.

Also, I would hope that people coming to such a forum would bring both an open mind and a sincere concern for children whose parental and financial circumstances have created huge deficits in their social skills and language acquisition. Without the intervention provided essentially by the center concept of the preschool program, these children, mainly African-American and some physically challenged, will never perform at the level of their peers of better circumstances. This program, run by a team of competent and loving caregivers, focuses on enhancing social experiences, parental skills and involvement, and broadening the children's language through rich, exciting daily activities. The center-based concept provides a stable haven that offers the only ballast in the lives of many children whose families live transient lives.

There is room for 220 children in the present site. I pray, though, that as a community we can bring to the meeting the courage to stand up and say it is time to commit to a site large enough to meet the needs of approximately 480 preschoolers.

And I hope we bring the wisdom to recognize that years of juggling funds to meet building priorities has pushed Jefferson School's improvement needs to the back burner and beyond the reach of the present School Board, coupled with state cuts to education over the past several years.

Perhaps we recognize that now our best hope for preserving a valuable program, which meets a critical need, is to enlist the support of the Charlottesville community. Our City Council and, School Board need to hear from residents. Both candidates for our state Senate seat had in their respective platforms "children first." Let Charlottesville take up this gauntlet." (Muriel Wiggins, The Daily Progress, January 6, 2002)