Letter: School referendum will pay off

Many of you have heard of the April 5 Vote for Solutions for Schools Referendum.

You can learn more and attend one of the five informational forums planned in the weeks ahead.

Having attended an early forum meeting, I believe you will find what the referendum includes is all practical — such as replacing corroded plumbing, repairing outdated electrical and bringing facilities up to code.

It is clear there is nothing extravagant in this plan. The goals are to preserve our existing buildings and improve obsolete systems.

There is no doubt we are living in tough times. You might be wondering why propose this now? What I understand is if the referendum does not pass in April we will inevitably be facing the same issues later at a higher cost to us.

Because of the hard work of the school board, we have one of the best bond ratings in the state allowing us to take advantage of historic low interest rates and putting us in the best position to get the most for our investment.

It is necessary and prudent to take steps now rather than failing to act and face continued deterioration of our facilities and simply prolonging the inevitable.

Perhaps it is the new year and I’m being too thoughtful about where we are as a nation, but I can’t help thinking about a quote from President John F. Kennedy.

“Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength for our nation.”

Let us all be a part of providing the best education for our children.

Vote “yes” on April 5 and support this important school referendum for our community.

Tags: opinion, letters, kinnickinnic, education