Dear editor,
Following the recent Greene County School District bond vote, a claim was made in social media that “the election results have ripped open some old wounds,” and mentioned rifts between Jefferson and rural communities, as well as friction between farmers and in-town residents, while strangely mentioning federal farm subsidies.
This assessment is incredibly counterproductive for Greene County, and the misguided finger pointing only promotes a deeper divide in our communities, rather than find opportunities to grow together.
The Greene County Farm Bureau, composed of farm families and urban and rural residents, places tremendous value in education. That’s why over 60 past and present Greene County students have been awarded college scholarships from the Farm Bureau to continue their education following high school graduation.
Additionally, over the years, our members have served in leadership positions within the district, from school board positions to working with FFA chapters to mentoring youth, and sharing the importance of education and encouraging students to pursue their dreams.
Our youth and their education is critical to the sustainment of Greene County. With such an important issue at hand, the fact that 61 percent of the voters stayed home rather than casting a ballot should have been the focus, instead of pitting non-farmers against farmers.
Creating an online forum for dialogue following the vote accomplishes nothing other than making education an urban/rural issue, when it’s an issue that impacts all Greene County residents. The time for proposals and debate about school funding was prior to the vote, not afterwards, with an apples-to-oranges comparison to farm subsidies designed to drive a deeper wedge.
Our hope moving forward is that all Greene County residents can have healthy conversations about school funding and other significant county issues without divisive language and voter shaming, as was resorted to following the recent vote.
Let’s not forget that we all have a shared goal to improve the quality of life for Greene County residents and provide our youth a great education. How we fulfill our goals together will take time and respectful communication between all residents, including the media.
Greene County Farm Bureau, John McCormick, president
