Letters to the Editor
‘Orange’ for Gun Violence Awareness
On June 2, thousands will be wearing orange. No, there isn’t a big UT game. Instead this orange-wearing is to show solidarity for gun violence awareness as part of the 3rd Annual “Wear Orange” campaign, sponsored by Moms Demand Action.
Orange is the color hunters wear to protect themselves in the woods. It’s a bright, bold color that demands to be seen. That’s why we wear it on June 2 to show that we stand united in the fight against gun violence.
Gun violence affects every race, religion and age group. More than 90 Americans die every day from gun violence, and many more are injured. No community is immune to gun violence, not even our own. When lives are lost through gun incidents, this impacts not only the immediate families, but the entire community.
We need to find a way to reduce unintentional gun deaths. When 7 children die every day from a gun-related incident, we need to address this issue. When 62% of national gun deaths are suicides, we need to change that. Together, we can. Whether through programs like “Be Smart,” which promotes responsible gun ownership and safe storage of guns, or speaking with each other about securing guns around kids, we can make a difference and save lives.
Wear Orange unites us – gun-owners and non gun-owners, young and old, all political persuasions. If each one of us takes a small step toward ending gun violence, we will build a stronger, safer community for many generations to come.
On June 2, Moms Demand Action will host a benefit concert at Scruffy City Hall on Market Square, from 6 p.m.-9 p.m. We invite the community to come together, listen to some talented local musicians, and commit to ending gun violence. For more information on this event, please visit www.wearorange.org.
If you can’t join us for the concert, please consider dressing in orange on June 2 and help us end gun violence in our community, now and in the future.
For more information, e-mail: llplawchan@gmail.com or visit www.momsdemandaction.org
Lisa Plawchan
Farragut
Community Outreach lead,
Moms Demand Action For Gun Sense in America
Clarifying HVA funding points
Regarding the grant funding for Hardin Valley Academy (HVA), there are several points that were not included in the farragutpress article a few weeks ago.
As everyone is aware, families move to Farragut because of the excellent public schools in our town. We donate funds, in part, because we want to demonstrate our support for our schools. Also, our schools are consistently in the lower third of per student funding and struggle to fund some of their needs. Most importantly, the Town wishes to have a connected and stronger relationship with our schools. I believe providing a small amount of funding to our schools accomplishes these goals.
We provide funding through our grant program. It is a relatively small amount considering the real needs of our schools. Those needs should be funded by the school system which the residents support through property tax paid to Knox County and fifty percent of all local sales taxes and mixed drink taxes collected in Farragut.
When the northwest sector of Farragut was rezoned to HVA, the Town began to allocate an equal amount to it. Over the years, the Town has donated $190,000 to HVA. As HVA enrollment has grown, the transfer policy back to Farragut High School has loosened up. Currently, only approximately 10% of public high school students who live in Farragut attend HVA.
With Hardin Valley getting a new middle school, the Hardin Valley area is growing rapidly, with 2000 lots somewhere in the process of development. Make no mistake, we, as a Town, are competing with Hardin Valley for families. One of my responsibilities as an Alderman is to be a good steward of our public funds and to utilize those funds to benefit our town.
I stand by my original statement, I believe continuing to fund Hardin Valley Academy at the same level as the schools in Farragut is not in the best interest of the Town of Farragut, I believe it’s time for the Hardin Valley community, which is growing, to begin to take over the funding for its schools to provide what its schools need.
Louise Povlin
Farragut
Alderman, Ward 1
