Find out for yourself why Polk is successful

Dear Superintendent David Benson and the Cedar Rapids Board of Education:

I am a substitute teacher in Cedar Rapids and the surrounding areas. Polk Elementary School is one of my favorite schools to work at (I have not subbed at Monroe, Harrison or Madison).

If you decide to close this school, I urge all of you to make sure you understand exactly what makes Polk tick. Don't settle for a presentation about the school at a meeting.

Visit the school. Walk the halls and spend time in the classrooms. Soak up the atmosphere of rigorous learning and zero tolerance for misbehavior. See children thriving and ask yourselves how you can replicate this success in the future.

You owe it to the citizens of Cedar Rapids to understand precisely why Polk is highly successful and effective before you make any decision to close its doors.

Kathleen Gilbert

Cedar Rapids