Editor, Gazette-Journal:

So often we hear (and sometimes say) that “the children are our future.” If we don’t devote greater resources to the academic and social development of the children of Mathews County, then we are only stewards of the past and spectators in the present, neglecting our responsibility for the future of Mathews County.

Every morning, many of our friends and neighbors leave the county for employment elsewhere and every year, graduates of Mathews High School leave the county for further education or employment. Few have reasons to remain Mathews residents. How can we keep them? The county population is aging and declining. The county’s economy is stagnant while the reverse is true in Gloucester County.

It is well known that the largest employer in the county is the public school system. The second largest employer is Food Lion. Although there are other businesses here, none are contenders for the title of #3 employer to provide upwardly mob...