Editor:

Passing this referendum will have many short-and long-term economic benefits for the Rhinelander area. A strong school system attracts new businesses and gives existing businesses confidence in our community so they will expand. These new jobs allow young people to stay in our community and raise their families.
Job growth allows our tax base to increase and spread the cost of social services, like our school district, to be spread out over more taxpayers. This will ultimately low the cost of services to each individual.

Here is what I see happening to Rhinelander if the referendum does not pass:
The school district will cut most/all electives; once this happens, parents who can will move their kids to districts that offer these electives. The district will have to make further cuts due to the drop in enrollment. People will start selling their homes to live in the school district that their kids are attending. Property values in over district will lower and construction will stop. Taxes will have to go up on the lower property values to cover services. Businesses will start to avoid or leave the Rhinelander area since the population base will be shrinking. Ultimately, we will end up with a school district that looks very much like an inner-city school (very costly, low graduation rates and avoided by parents).
If this is allowed to happen, everyone (including someone that voted no) will be paying higher taxes to support a system that no one likes. We cannot allow this to happen to our community.

The true cost of the referendum is $42 a year per $100,000 of property value. We currently have $63 dropping off our taxes and the referendum would be adding $105, so the true cost is $42 or $3.50 per month. I don’t like paying higher taxes either, but some things are just too important to ignore.
Remember, the United States is great because we educate all of our citizens, not just a chosen few.

Mike Boyd CPF, ChFC, CLU, CASL, LUTCF,
Rhinelander