The Dec. 17 article in the Lincoln Journal Star regarding pay raises for top executives of the Lincoln Public Schools (“Ed Board’s actions go beyond salary raises”) deserves another response. The pay raises approved by the Board of Education prove once again that Lincoln Public Schools continues to run amok and is out of touch with the Lincoln community, specifically, the homeowner and others who pay property taxes.

Just look at your tax statement. The tax money collected by Lincoln schools is about 63 cents of every tax dollar.

The school board spoke for all homeowners when it awarded outrageous sums of our money to these executives, which does nothing but enrich their already bloated compensation packages.

In addition to 4.5 percent increases for those who already make six-figure incomes, these folks get, among other perks, cell phone and laptop computer allowances and additional money deposited into their tax-deferred annuities.

The taxpaying public gets what it does not pay attention to, doesn’t it? There is nothing but empty seats at the school board meetings each month, and when we’re not listening, the board members give away our hard-earned money to people who don’t even have to ask.

Moreover, the board approved the package quickly this time on the first reading instead of waiting for the second reading early in the new year.

Does it make anybody wonder why they rushed a vote for this controversial issue? I applaud school board members Richard Meginnis and Kathy Danek for having the courage to represent the taxpayers with their “no” vote on the compensation package.

Stevan Worster, Lincoln

Teenage unemployment

Columnist Ruben Navarrette Jr., “Immigration plan ignores reality” (LJS, Dec. 22), seems to think that the high wages unions demand prevent a humane and orderly system of guest workers entering our labor force.

Consider the news from labor economist Andrew Sum and his associates: “For the entire group of 16-20-year-olds, the presence of new immigrants in their state’s work force had a strong, statistically significant, negative impact on the likelihood that they will be employed. A 1 percentage-point increase in the share of new immigrants in the state’s work force will reduce the probability of employment of young adults by 2.1 percentage points. The effects of new immigrant workers are negative and statistically significant for each subgroup of young adults. … The size of the coefficient was highest for black men, implying they are the most adversely affected by new immigrant inflows.”

The next time we hear about teenagers out of work, think of that. The racial conflict implications are huge.

David McCreary, Lincoln

Thanks for native prairie

As we reflect on all sorts of governmental decisions during 2008, we need to thank County Commissioners Bernie Heier, Deb Schorr, Ray Stevens and Bob Workman for their votes to approve the resolution to vacate, with provisions, the dirt road on the east side of Spring Creek Prairie. This road split two beautiful tracts of tallgrass native prairie, a grassland almost gone from the landscape.

We are fortunate to have such a unique and attractive area in Lancaster County.

J. Douglas Campbell, Lincoln