I recently read Natheley McElrath's announcement that she was running for Glen Cove school board. She brought up a subject that I feel is paramount to a good education...diversity. As Ms. McElrath states, I am proud to live in the most diverse community in Nassau County. I believe our mayor recently stated in a speech that we have 38 different religions celebrated here in Glen Cove. Attending school with people of different cultures better prepares children to compete in a diverse world. But the point Ms. McElrath makes that our teacher population does not mirror our school population is an important one.

What type of message are we sending to our children when we can't provide them with a diverse teaching staff? Surely the old excuse 'we couldn't find any qualified minority teachers' doesn't hold true. Other districts around us have higher percentages of minority teachers. We need someone on the school board that can focus on minority issues.

Erma L. Burch