TheBoard of Directors, North Shore Trade and Tech made a recent plea for school levy support in order to make available technology and trade education for the 2/3 of graduates who aren’t college bound. Without this education, students may be unprepared to fill potential skilled jobs. Theyfear the area could become a retirement community.
TheGrand Marais area is already a retirement community, but we retirees are an asset since we who immigrated to this lovely area can’t survive alone without the young families and the skilled workers. We provide job opportunities.
Who is going to fix the plumbing, tune the furnace, grade the driveway, connect the satellite dish, put in the septic system, fix the roof, repair the car, the refrigerator, the downed power lines, etc? We appreciate qualified, well-trained persons when help is needed. Makeshift solutions don’t cut it. Without good help we immigrant retirees would likely move away, and so would those work opportunities.
Reliable skilled help does not come from a strong MN work ethic in isolation. Theother ingredient is the education. There are talented and eager students ready to take pride in technical training. If we want a vibrant, well served community, we will prepare our young people for a successful future, both for the college bound and the technical force.
If as a society we value education, then the schools should not have to grovel and beg for money. Thelevy is important but seems a long way off. As I look at my property tax bill due the 15th, I’ve decided that I am not taxed enough.
For as long as the schools are in debt and are forced to cut vital programs which then hinders education of our youth, I suggest that taxes should be increased to cover those programs. But until then maybe we could all donate a little toward the ISD 166 tech programs the way we donate to MPR, the library, fire departments, historical society, the arts, etc. I for one will do it.
Geri Jensen
Grand Marais
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