When I read the headline of the Sun Journal July 24, I was relieved to see the taxpayers of Auburn refused to endorse the increase in the school budget.

When I got to the section that reported on comments made by Superintendent Katy Grondin, I was insulted. My “no” vote was not because I want the school department to spend more. Here are some of my reasons:

When defending personnel and policy has a higher priority than educating children, I take umbrage.

When reporting of “very little public input” in committee meetings that are rigid and uninviting (unless you have the right last name), I take umbrage.

When my concerns with the unfettered access to the Internet go ignored by my elected official, and the superintendent, I take umbrage.

When my child struggles and we are directed to “Power School” and we find that “Power School” has not been updated by the very teacher who directed us there, I take umbrage.

By the grace of God, we have graduated two children through Auburn schools and have one more to go. I pray we can navigate her through the impersonal, computer-centric, dysfunctional environment.

The school department needs to focus on protecting and educating these young bowls of gray matter and deliver to them a better educational environment.

Daniel Johnson, Auburn