Waste of time, money to redraw Sarasota school districts

No reason to redraw school districts now

It is more than puzzling how the Sarasota County School Board has voted to begin the process of possible redistricting by hiring a consultant.

Why? Redistricting normally occurs every 10 years, based on the most current census. This was just done in 2021, based on the 2020 census.

This is on the heels of the board being adamant about focusing on academics and getting rid of distractions. Then there is also the pressing priority issue of safety in the schools. Where on Earth would redistricting fit in here at this time, other than as an unneeded distraction?

It also would be a total waste of many thousands of dollars for something that was literally just done. Such funds could be used for so many purposes to benefit students and teachers.

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It would be interesting to delve into what the motivation for this might be, political or otherwise.

Leila Newcomb, Sarasota

Heed Florida guidance on COVID again

Dr. Anthony Fauci recently stated in a medical journal “... the COVID vaccine was a bit of a disappointment, not too surprising as our experience with vaccines for respiratory viruses has been difficult.”

The people of Florida rewarded Gov. Ron DeSantis with a landslide victory in 2022, in large part for his pandemic response: halting mask and vaccine mandates and damaging lockdowns and keeping schools open.

More: COVID is back again, Florida, and you're on your own. DeSantis, Ladapo still don't care.

Organized medicine is beholden to Big Pharma and the Centers for Disease Control has been rife with bad advice and flip-flops. We all know of vaxxed and boosted people who have come down with COVID-19 numerous times.

Now there is a new mRNA formulation. Our learned state surgeon general advises against the vaccine for those under 65 and small children.

Heed Florida guidance. There will be no long lines for the new version of the vaccine.

Richard D. Paolillo, M.D., Nokomis

Hold developers accountable long term

Kudos to the Herald-Tribune editors for placing Derek Gilliam’s “Trial puts focus on Sarasota development" on the top of Page One on Sept. 18.

Although The Quay concept plan was approved seven years ago by our commissioners, there have been six “minor” plan changes that were not commissioner approved or reviewed by the public.

Those mounting unapproved changes have changed the scope of the high-rise, causing citizens to feel baffled and betrayed.

I see some parallels between The Quay case and the case against high-rise hotels on Siesta Key. In both situations, it seems our local governance is inadequate for the creativity and longevity of developers and their legal teams.

Fighting abuses of “creeping development" involves extraordinary citizen perseverance and fundraising. I applaud the grassroots teams and the honorable officials who are fighting to ensure that developers adhere to our laws, abide by codes and remain accountable for the long-term impact of development on Sarasota and its environment.

Jann Webster, Siesta Key

DeSantis open, as opposed to president, son

A letter writer Sept. 20 questioned Ron DeSantis’ transparency and suggested that the governor uses his wife's struggles with breast cancer for sympathy (“DeSantis scores zero on transparency”).

In fact, the governor has been very open as far his policies are concerned. He leaves very little to the imagination with his comments.

If transparency is a concern for the writer, he should be looking into the investigation of our president and his son for clarity. The dealings here are far from transparent, to say the least.

The writer’s comment concerning the governor's wife's fight with cancer was uncalled for and appalling.

Charles Dawson, Venice

Governor’s dream for NCF coming true

Let’s be honest about New College: It is now a conservative Christian, albeit public, liberal arts school in Sarasota.

It is currently tied for 100th in the U.S. News and World Report’s ranking of liberal arts schools, a sharp decline from the previous 76th.

The college is now fully on the path to its future as envisioned by Florida’s conservative elites.

Douglas D. Griffin, Sarasota

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: What is School Board's motivation for repeating redistricting?