Editor, Gazette-Journal:

Tuesday, Jan. 15 was a step in the right direction for the Mathews County Public Schools and the MEA. A sizable group of teachers, administrators, and community members attended the school board meeting. Most attendees were wearing red and holding up signs as to why they support the #Red4Ed movement and the MEA.

As someone who has spent a significant amount of time in Thomas Hunter and Mathews High schools as a substitute teacher, I have become fully aware of just how poorly our schools have been funded and maintained.

We face significant problems in our future. We have problems with hiring and maintaining qualified staff because we fail to compete with neighboring school district salaries and benefits. We have a lot of technology that is becoming outdated and/or is in disrepair. We also have problems with costly building repairs such as crumbling and broken-down bathrooms, routinely leaky roofs, undrinkable and sometimes inaccessible water in parts of the b...