Dear editor,
In response to the article in Thursday’s paper on “Vote No Avenue, A Road to Nowhere,” I do not know if the “no” flyer has half truths and lies in it or not. I do know if the vote to build new schools passes, look out people of Iola. Look for more business places and factories in town to move out or to close. Look in the past:
1. Kentucky Fried Chicken closed.
2. Burger King closed
3. Ken’s Pizza closed
4. Madison Ave. Restaurant closed
5. The boat factory closed
6. Penneys closed
7. Sears closed
8. Montgomery Ward closed
9. Country Mart closed
Yes, a new consolidated elementary schools would be nice with only one principal so the other principals lose their positions.
People of Iola the flavor of the flyer is not all doom and gloom. It is inspiring to know that the “no” voters are using their heads.
Drive around town, especially, the northern part, are wanting the “yes” vote to win by all the yard signs on display. The further south you go, “no” signs are displayed more. When Nov. 4 comes pray first, vote second, and be proud of the “no” voters who don’t want more taxes in their lives.
David Hill,
Iola, Kan.
Dear editor,
My plea to the public is to get out and vote. I am a teacher and one of the things I try to teach my students is the power of voting. In my classroom we look at the rights and responsibilities that go along with voting. We talk about how everyone over the age of 18 has the right to vote. We also talk about the responsibility that goes along with a decision, which is to choose a person or decide upon a choice based on an informed decision. I think we are looking at the biggest decision Iola has faced in a very long time. This vote has the potential to set Iola up for a brighter future or continue to struggle to educate our future.
There are several issues that I have witnessed that need to be addressed. The first is that teachers do not need a new building to educate the students. You are right about that! Teachers will continue to teach, whether we get a new building or not. We could still be teaching long after the building falls down. However, if you do not give the teachers the proper tools (building, teaching resources, etc.) to teach, will the end product be of equal quality?
Second, we cannot afford a new school. The fact is that we cannot afford the schools that we are in either. As the current schools continue to deteriorate, they are just going to continue eating up more money. The old buildings are past some forms of preventative maintenance and we would be setting ourselves up for failure building upon faulty foundations. The old thinking with buildings and houses was to fix the problems when they happen. As our knowledge base continues to grow we have learned a lot about buildings and how to better take care of them. With a new school, preservation can start from the minute it is built. Preventative maintenance now allows us to measure, predict, and prevent situations before they turn into a problem. Problems will still arise over time. That is the downfall of aging. However, if we can start preserving these buildings early on instead of waiting until there are problems, these buildings could last even longer than the current buildings.
Third, we are getting money from a government that does not have money. We pay taxes and part of where that money goes towards is education. That is just the way the system is set up. Taxes are to pay for public programs. One of those is education. It is going to be used somewhere. Others have reaped the rewards of our taxes by building new schools. I think it is our time to see the benefits of our taxes being spent here where we are paying them and they benefit our community.
There are many other underlying issues that the public never sees: For a more efficient educational path that allows teachers to collaborate and work together more effectively. To reduce the stress (pickup, drop off, P/T conferences, etc.) of students and families that have children attending separate schools. Equity among the students (class size, materials, technology, expectations). Cooperation of a community (comparison and competition among schools that should be working together to benefit the community)
Your vote should be based on your ideals, thoughts, opinions, and morals. Your opinion counts. There have been quite a few elections that have been decided by a few hundred votes. I have a hard time believing that there were not a few hundred people sitting at home thinking that their vote did not count. If all of those people had voted, the outcome might have been different. Show the kids of the community that they are important enough to spend some time out of your day voting for their future, whatever you think is the best decision. I am voting yes for the future of Iola. I am voting yes for improved quality of education for Iola youth.
Scott Riebel,
Iola, Kan.
