The upcoming school referendum has stirred much controversy in our community. Theback and forth of these arguments seem to miss one essential point. It takes a certain amount of money to educate the children in this county. Themoney comes from various sources. A major contributor is the State of Minnesota, which is funding less and less of the educational expenses.
Another big contributor to educational dollars is local property taxes. As state contributions go down, local property taxes have to go up. There comes a point when there are no more budgetary cuts to be made. If we want to provide a quality education for our children, local property taxes will have to be raised.
Many reading the newspaper have educated their children in this school district. Some were educated here themselves. During those years all members of the community banded together to provide the money for a good education for every child. Fine classroom instruction combined with a variety of athletics, music, and social events to prepare students for life after high school. Graduates were able to attend the finest schools in the nation – and graduate from them.
Now it is our turn to support this referendum so that current students will have the same opportunities. No one likes to pay more taxes, but we owe it to these students. Earlier generations support their schools and we must also do so. Vote yes for the school referendum!
Susan Kerfoot
Grand Marais
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