By Carrie Williams & Rachel Schardt

Co-Chairs Say Yes to Monroe Schools

To the Editor:

Public schools unite communities. Through holiday concerts and football games. Through graduations and PTO meetings. The schools in our community are not a separate entity from the rest of us. Our teachers and administrators live here, volunteer here, they patronize our businesses, and send their own children to our schools. This is not a matter of “us” versus “them.” We are our schools and they are us. Our schools touch every facet of our lives.

We count on our schools to train our children for college or careers. We turn to our schools to provide additional guidance and support to our children in the wake of community tragedies. We ask our schools to teach cooperation and teamwork through athletics. We ask our schools to provide volunteers in our community so our children can learn the value in reaching out to others. We trust the schools with our children’s lives and future.

We ask a lot of our schools and reap the benefits of the foundation they provide for our students. We owe it to our schools, our children, and our community to support the district when it asks for help.

Public schools are an investment. An investment in the future of our children. An investment in our community. An investment in our collective future. Investments come with upfront costs. In this case, a rise in the school levy. No one is callous to the fact that many of us will feel the pinch with property taxes. But, like all investments, this will pay dividends far longer than the initial cost. We served on the District Facilities Committee and know this is not a frivolous ask of the community. It’s necessary and urgent.

We wholeheartedly support the Monroe School District’s ask for a new building-a building that will continue to serve this community for decades to come. We hope we can count on the community to vote yes on November 8.