To the editor:

In these hard economic times we learn that the Lee County School District has planned to eliminate more than 70 positions. Looking to the state Legislature to restore monies and crying poverty, the district and school board is looking for support from the tax-paying public in the name of helping children. Concurrent with this cry of poverty it also learned that the Lee School District is spending $34 million to upgrade its computer systems. The outrage of this expenditure of taxpayer funds comes about when it is learned that the money and contract has been outsourced to India with additional monies spent to bring six Indian technicians to Lee County and housing them in local hotels.

What message does this send to Lee County students? Learn computer skills for jobs that don’t exist because even the school district will spend taxpayer monies for foreign students to get the jobs! Even the when the program is installed it will be serviced in India, again no employment for Lee County residents! How can children in our county ever be motivated to learn when they feel there is no future here? Is this what taxpayer monies should be used for? Maybe next we can outsource the jobs of superintendent, board members and have that exported to India as well! Perhaps the children will be taught by people from India through closed circuit TV and we will no longer need teachers either! Is this the future we dream of?

John E. Traube

Cape Coral