Letter: A chance to do right by kids by Sheri Gaber
Editor:
I’ve seen the use of the words “ghost town” as a reason to vote “no” for the referendum. I am writing a letter using those exact words, except as a reason to vote “yes” for the referendum because who is going to want to move their families to a town that doesn’t support their children? This is about our children. It’s about the future of our town.
I have three very intelligent, kind and confident children, all of whom have attended our magnificent charter schools. Two of them are currently attending NCES, the school that received the highest grade in the district and which will be closed if this referendum is not passed. Beyond academics, as a result of the project-based learning in the charter schools, at NCES students develop the confidence to present their work to the public. They have been doing so since kindergarten. These skills will be invaluable when they are in the real world looking for and working in their careers.
If this referendum is not passed, not only will these students’ schools close; they will then be put into larger classes as a result of the loss of the SAGE program and then they will go to a high school that will not offer the electives that are needed for them to get into college! When it comes time to go out and prepare for the rest of their lives, they will not have the same opportunities as other children because our school district will not be able to provide them with what they need to succeed.
And beyond that, if we no longer have an excellent school district, we will no longer be a valuable place for new companies to bring their businesses. Where will the new jobs come from then? What will the families who live here do when the schools cannot provide the best education for their children? Will they stay or will they move to a community that has schools that do?
There are so many aspects of the community that this school referendum touches. If we want this community to continue to thrive and not become a ghost town, we need to vote YES. We have a chance to do right by our children and this great town by voting YES. Please vote YES on Feb. 19.
Sheri Gaber, Rhinelander
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