Editor:
We have all read of the
recent meeting of the Littlestown Area School Board in which three concerned
members of the community rose to challenge and question the accounting practices
of the Littlestown Area School District. Their claim is that somehow, the district
has misplaced or mishandled a large sum of funds. While their claims have been
leveled at the school board, they have called into question the work ethic,
reputation, and character of a longtime district employee, Darlene Ketterman,
the district’s business manager. This personal attack on Mrs. Ketterman’s
integrity as an employee of the school district is a travesty perpetrated by
a small-organized group of citizens who are clearly being mislead.
Darlene Ketterman has been
in the Littlestown Area School business office for almost 35 years. Her work
and her integrity have been above reproach. Her work has been justified by countless
audits and the state audits she has undergone have been near perfect and her
work has been and continues to be exemplary. To somehow suggest that she alone
has mishandled or misplaced or misappropriated these or any other funds, is
incredible. While Mrs. Ketterman’s accusers searched for a scapegoat in
this witch hunt, perhaps their time could have better been spent in providing
positive solutions to what they view as problems, rather than these shameful
criticisms and attacks.
I cannot sit idly by as
one of the District’s and Littlestown’s finest citizens is being
crucified with such villainous words spoken in a public forum. I would personally
trust Mrs. Ketterman with every penny I have and I would not think twice about
doing so. I know many in this community are concerned about taxes and spending.
Our school district is growing and we need to meet the needs of this growth,
which requires a sense of unity and cooperation in Littlestown, not painful,
hurtful and unsubstantiated words of dissension. The calling into question of
someone’s integrity and efficiency in such a public forum without pursuing
other avenues of resolution first, is inappropriate and is self-serving.
I hope the Littlestown
Area School Board and the community stand firmly behind Mrs. Ketterman.
And, just so you don’t have to add an “Editor’s Note,”
I am the pastor of St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Littlestown,
and for the past six years I have proudly served as Mrs. Ketterman’s pastor.
The Rev. Timothy J. Kielley
St. John’s Evangelical
Lutheran Church
Printed in the Hanover Evening Sun, June 5, 2002.