I have heard many people talk about why a yes vote is necessary on the school referendum. I have also heard the naysayers who plan to vote no. I will be voting yes, in part, because I believe without our school, we will lose our sense of community, in reality we will have no community. But I will also be voting yes because I believe as our state constitution says that students are entitled to a free, public education. Granted, it isn’t really free because tax dollars are paying for it. There lies the problem.

The school aid formula has never really treated everyone equally. Years ago, when I served on a school board, the Milwaukee School District got the cream off the top when it came to state funding, and other schools across the state got what was left over. That has been compounded with school vouchers because now private schools are also taking money out of the pot that was meant for public schools. Private schools don’t have to follow all the regulations that public schools do. They also don’t have to accept a student that might have special needs. Private schools don’t typically provide the special education programs, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and individual aides that public schools do. Those programs are expensive, but in my opinion, every child has the right to learn. If schools were funded the way they should be, 80 schools would not be seeking referendum approval to exceed levy limits this November. Those referendums are just about keeping the doors open and learning happening.

The naysayers often bring up the FEMA building or the fitness center. A huge part of both of those projects was paid for with grant money. People had a chance to vote on the rest of the funding with a referendum and they chose to vote in favor of the projects. I’m sorry if you didn’t get your way, but that doesn’t mean that all the children in the Owen-Withee School District should be made to suffer because you aren’t happy. They also bring up people on fixed incomes, and I get it, no one wants to see their taxes go up, some can’t afford for them to go up. But in this case, it appears that the mill rate will go down for the school. Equalized values in the district have also gone up and that should help to spread out the tax burden a bit more. And a no vote won’t eliminate your school taxes. You will just be paying them to someone else.

Either way, the long-term cost of the referendum failing will hurt our kids, our school, and our community. The school has been the heart and soul of this community for years. It is a place where people come together to learn, to work toward a common goal, to support our athletes, to support our drama students and music students, to support school organizations, and to attend events like Santa Day. What will happen to our community if this no longer exists? People will become even more isolated. If the school ends up closing down the road, students who have grown up together and become friends may be separated into different districts because it is highly unlikely that all students would be sent in the same direction. Owen-Withee School District covers a large land area. People might move or might not decide to come here. Businesses will find it even harder to find help, assuming they are able to stay open at all. The community will have a large building sitting vacant and looking forlorn.

This referendum is about more than just our school. It is about who we are and who we strive to be as a community. I encourage everyone to vote yes, to show our students that education is important, to show them that they are important and we believe in them and their future.