To the Editor:

Recently, I wrote that the local school systems were detrimental to the recruitment of new residents and businesses for our area. Since then I have been very politely and tactfully informed that that is no longer the case. Since Franklin’s School Board was reconstituted two years ago, the board and new superintendent have led Franklin’s schools to unprecedented heights.

Today, all of Franklin’s public schools are fully accredited. The city schools’ graduation rate is above the state average for the 133 school districts in Virginia, despite Franklin’s much higher rate of poverty than surrounding school districts.

I’d like to commend the Franklin School Board for its exceptional progress. The school system is no longer a detriment, but the PERCEPTION of our school system still is. We need to spread the word that our schools are once again very good.

Holt Livesay
Franklin