May 21: County school funding and the hospital

By Published by The Editorial Board

Published: May 21, 2008

Chamber urges county to give more to its schools

To the editor:
Throughout our region and our county, elected officials, business leaders and citizens have spoken eloquently about the value, necessity and importance of public education to the future of our region. And yet, with anticipated budget cuts in Pittsylvania County’s upcoming fiscal year, the promise of educational progress to enhance our economic position has been stalled.
Our elected officials and community leaders have stressed the importance of education to economic growth. The linkage between education and economic prosperity is widely accepted and supported by all stakeholders in our region’s economic transformation.
While our local elected officials must grapple with closing budget gaps, they have a far greater crisis in not crippling the progress that has been achieved by our local school system in recent years. It is imperative that our Board of Supervisors moves forward with a long-term commitment to stable and consistent education funding that meets the needs of our students and exceeds the minimum requirements of the state.
If we want to create high-wage jobs and grow our economy, then we must focus on education. No other investment yields as great a return as the investment in education. The Danville Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce firmly believes that an educated work force is the foundation of our community and the future of our economy.
Our region must maintain an unwavering commitment to a world-class education system — one that is not just good, but one that stretches our students to be great. Our ability to compete for good jobs in a global environment that is constantly changing requires nothing less.
While money alone is not the solution to all of our education challenges, adequate funding is essential if we believe that our students deserve a well-rounded, high-quality education that is supported by student performance and achievement. If we are to hold our schools accountable for ensuring that all children succeed, then our governing body, our businesses and our citizens must be willing to invest the required resources in education.
The board of directors of the Danville Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce strongly urges the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors to revisit its decision to cut the funding of our schools to a level that barely meets the minimum Standards of Quality. 
The success of our students is at stake. The success of our region is at stake.

ROGER GILLISPIE
Danville

Editor’s note: Gillispie is chair of the board of directors of the Danville Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce. This letter, first written to Pittsylvania County Administrator Dan Sleeper, was written on behalf of the chamber’s entire board of directors.

Our hospital is a great place to have a baby

To the editor:
Early on the morning of May 15, my wife and I left for Danville Regional Medical Center. My wife was expecting and the time had come.
One gets a little nervous when you read all the letters in the newspaper about Danville Regional — all those, “I waited in the Emergency Department for seven hours and I finally just left.” Well, guess what? If you can get up and just leave, you probably didn’t need to be there in the first place, hence the word “emergency.” People get upset because they have to wait to be seen while someone else has a loved one back there dying and everyone is busy trying to save their life.
Anyway, from the moment we hit the door, we were waited on and carried up to Labor & Delivery by a kind and compassionate Emergency Department staff member, where we were met by nurses who were so nice, caring and professional. They took great care of my wife, and with their wonderful assistance, they helped a wonderful doctor deliver a beautiful baby.
We were later transported to the women’s floor for postpartum care. The care given by those nurses was just as exceptional. You would have thought that we were the only patients, which we were not. They were slammed, but they still cared for us without complaining about the work, the hospital or anything. They just cared for us, which is all we could ask for. All the nurses and others in Labor & Delivery, the nursery and postpartum care were all wonderful and we greatly appreciated what you did for my wife and my little girl.
Danville Regional has wonderful Labor & Delivery and women’s care. There is no need to travel to another hospital to get great care. It’s offered right here at home.

GARY JONES
Danville