As many of you are aware, there will be a very important referendum vote April 1. What you may not realize is this referendum is not only about our school but our community as a whole. If Monticello doesn't have a quality school for our kids and for our future, would we have a community that we can all be truly proud of?
I am a graduate of Monticello public schools and I truly value the education I earned here. I can tell you the education I received in Monticello is second to none. I know, firsthand, the students who graduate from Monticello are a step above the rest when it comes to being prepared for college, as well as life after college. In order for this to continue, we need to support our school district.
This referendum is asking for the essential needs of our school children. They need new and updated books and computers to remain competitive in college and in the workforce. We need reliable and dependable transportation to get our children to and from school safely, along with a well maintained facility for them to learn in. In order to be successful and productive adults in the future, they need the tools to help them be exceptional students in the present.
The grim reality is that a "no" vote will eliminate the school's ability to purchase vehicles to ensure safe and reliable transportation of students and would force us to lease buses, which is more costly in the long run. We also will lose the ability to keep up with ongoing maintenance issues with the facility. There are areas of the roof that need to be repaired, HVAC updates that need to be addressed, and a gym floor that has reached the end of its usable life and needs to be replaced. The purchase of textbooks and computers no longer will be an option for our teachers and administrators. At present, many textbooks are nearly 10 years old and the computers are more than six years old. Lack of funds also would necessitate cuts to our academic programs, thus diminishing many opportunities for students. Programs likely to be affected by cuts include music, agriculture, industrial arts, physical education, business, family and consumer education, foreign language, and any other areas that are not required for graduation. Athletics and other co-curricular activities also would be in line for cuts. What kind of a school would we have without these types of programs? Would this be a community you would want to live in or move your family to?
I am a parent now and chose to come back to Monticello because of the quality of our school district. I believe that my children have an excellent opportunity to be educated in a small town that has always believed in academic excellence. Your "yes" vote will ensure that the school gets the funding it needs to provide facilities, educational materials and programs so that each and every student at Monticello public schools will have the chance to excel. Please get out and vote "yes" for our school, our community, and our future.
I am a graduate of Monticello public schools and I truly value the education I earned here. I can tell you the education I received in Monticello is second to none. I know, firsthand, the students who graduate from Monticello are a step above the rest when it comes to being prepared for college, as well as life after college. In order for this to continue, we need to support our school district.
This referendum is asking for the essential needs of our school children. They need new and updated books and computers to remain competitive in college and in the workforce. We need reliable and dependable transportation to get our children to and from school safely, along with a well maintained facility for them to learn in. In order to be successful and productive adults in the future, they need the tools to help them be exceptional students in the present.
The grim reality is that a "no" vote will eliminate the school's ability to purchase vehicles to ensure safe and reliable transportation of students and would force us to lease buses, which is more costly in the long run. We also will lose the ability to keep up with ongoing maintenance issues with the facility. There are areas of the roof that need to be repaired, HVAC updates that need to be addressed, and a gym floor that has reached the end of its usable life and needs to be replaced. The purchase of textbooks and computers no longer will be an option for our teachers and administrators. At present, many textbooks are nearly 10 years old and the computers are more than six years old. Lack of funds also would necessitate cuts to our academic programs, thus diminishing many opportunities for students. Programs likely to be affected by cuts include music, agriculture, industrial arts, physical education, business, family and consumer education, foreign language, and any other areas that are not required for graduation. Athletics and other co-curricular activities also would be in line for cuts. What kind of a school would we have without these types of programs? Would this be a community you would want to live in or move your family to?
I am a parent now and chose to come back to Monticello because of the quality of our school district. I believe that my children have an excellent opportunity to be educated in a small town that has always believed in academic excellence. Your "yes" vote will ensure that the school gets the funding it needs to provide facilities, educational materials and programs so that each and every student at Monticello public schools will have the chance to excel. Please get out and vote "yes" for our school, our community, and our future.
