Kudos to the Town Council for its denial of approving the

$1.25 million school budget increase for the town. It showed great courage on their part in view of what's happening in our community and the country as well.

It all comes back to the weak argument that by denying the increase, we're hurting our kids. We've already poured millions into the school system, and yet we continue to lag the rest of the world in producing well-educated children. At the last ranking, we were 25th in the world, even behind some third world countries in math and science.

What we need is more quality and dedication on behalf of the teachers. While most of us are struggling to make ends meet, it behooves them to increase their dedication until the economy improves and we can afford to add some of these demands.

George WhiteNorth Branford