The headline on the front page of the July 12 Franklin section of the Sun Journal – “Derision greets state official” – was unfair and inaccurate.

I attended that meeting on school consolidation and felt the audience was attentive, polite, and, when given the opportunity, asked intelligent, thoughtful questions. The presenter from the Department of Education was clear and concise in his presentation, and clear he was neither there to defend the law nor explain or defend legislative intent.

I do think, however, that four of the superintendents who dominated the discussion fell into exactly what they had asked the public not to do – attack the law and question the legislative process that produced it.

But even with their obscure references to the law’s complexities and their confusion about what this means to their particular school district, the evening was informative and conducted with usual Franklin County attention to good manners.

There was not a hint of “derision” in the air.

Irv Faunce, Wilton