EDITOR'S NOTE: Below is a selection of responses shared by readers of MDJOnline.com in reaction to recent MDJ stories ...

Cuts, class sizes, artificial turf on Cobb school board's agenda ...

Bigpicture wrote - The voters approved this money for the exact use that is being considered. If you didn't vote then don't complain. $16 million worth of construction work in the county is a positive impact. Families in north Georgia will have jobs manufacturing this turf, truck drivers will have jobs hauling it, motels will house workers, restaurants will feed them, along with equipment rental, concrete, excavation and on and on. Stop looking down your nose long enough to realize that real people who need jobs will build these fields and pay taxes. You can discuss teacher pay, and classroom size all you want this money wasn't allocated for that purpose and can't be used for it. I wonder how many of the other posters actually voted? No right to complain if you didn't!

Beau's Mom wrote - Teachers have lost income and lost credit for their retirement accounts. Principals are being told to conserve copy paper, toilet paper, paper towels, and basic supplies. There are so many "non-student serving" people on the payroll that those salaries, alone would probably make the difference! Schools do not need all the "coaches" ... from "sports" through "academic coaches"... nor do schools need all the "area support personnel." Schools simply need teachers who have the drive and interest in working with children and those people simply need to be allowed to teach. Put people in classrooms and not in offices! The teachers are being abused and beyond that, and most importantly, the students are being cheated! I am glad I do not have a child to educate in a public school, if this is as good as it gets.

Frustrated Citizen wrote - As a teacher in Cobb, I am definitely willing to take a pay cut, furlough days, etc., if it will save jobs and not decrease the value of education I give to my students. and if the Central Office and administrators take a pay cut also. I would rather for us all to hurt a "little" than put extra students in each class for an entire year. Don't punish the students for our poor economy. Pushing the start day of school back would also save operating costs as we won't have to run the air conditioning full blast in the hottest time of the year.

Teacher saddened wrote - Cobb continues to participate in textbook adoptions, even though teachers will be cut. How many textbooks do you really need? Raising class sizes will just throw a wrench into the county making AYP. Teachers have already been hit hard with three furlough days, an increase in insurance benefits, a decrease in salary, and now possibly losing their jobs. I thought teachers were the most important aspect to schools. Apparently Superintendent Fred Sanderson and the board feel the top executives are most important. Get rid of PR chief Jay Dillon, who is an embarrassment and stop adopting textbooks. Don't make the kids suffer, please! In addition, maybe (the school board) should have figured out how to work collaboratively as a team instead of paying someone $ 4,500 to tell you that!

Turf Truth wrote - It is not accurate to say that artificial turf fields are maintenance free. Synthetic fields require additional infill, irrigation because of unacceptably high temperatures on warm days, chemical disinfectants, drainage repair and maintenance, erasing and repainting temporary lines, and removing organic matter accumulation. I, too, would like to see a full cost comparison.

Turf Costs wrote - How many years will it take to earn back the cost of the turf in maintenance savings? Let's not forget that artificial turf has its own maintenance costs. Let's see a full analysis, please.

Report: Illegals working on courthouse ...

Pat H wrote - Commissioner Tim Lee, you don't think anything illegal is going on? Read the law, it clearly states that all workers must be here legally, and being paid in cash without taxes withheld is a major indication. All companies need extensive audits - Zebra, Turner and every other subcontractor on that job. First of all, Turner Construction should be forbidden from any other public projects. And these employers need jail time. We are sick of these traitors who undercut our very society by hiring illegals, especially with the economic conditions we have. Cobb teachers are taking furlough days, yet these companies are undermining the tax system. Despicable. I don't think this situation bodes well for Sam Olens as state attorney general.

American worker wrote - Exactly what (MDJ guest columnist) D.A. King has been telling us for so long!

West Cobb Resident wrote - Illegals have built all other buildings in Cobb over the last 20 years. Why not the Court House!