To the editor,
While many of the points we want to mention have been covered by others, a reaffirmation of the importance of some of these cannot be overstated.
The safety and security of our students is critical. We do live in a world where personal activities related to drugs and mental illness continue to worsen. We many times think “not in Greene County”, but at any time we could experience a violent crime or shooting in one of our school buildings. We are not immune!
Accessibility for the physically challenged is not an option to ignore. We can correct this by building a new high school and moving our middle school students into the present high school. You might ask, isn’t there a less expensive option? The answer is yes, but only by investing a few million dollars into a nearly 100 year old building which we still cannot properly secure; not to mention our lack of willingness to address the new collaborative learning environment that teaches skillsets that are very important in today’s workplaces, the increased ability to attract highly qualified teachers and young families with a progressive school system, and while not a top priority isn’t it time for our middle school students to have a lunchroom?
So, April 3rd is only a week away. The board members of Grow Greene County, Greene County Community Schools, and the board of supervisors have had the foresight to provide the added funding sources to now make this incredible project possible.
The final step is up to us, the voters of the Greene County Community School District that need to pass the $21.48 million bond referendum. This is our once in a lifetime opportunity to make a difference just as many of our forefathers did when they constructed such facilities as the courthouse, the existing middle school, high school, elementary school, and our hospital. There are times to invest, and this is one of them. Please find the courage to vote “yes” and make our students, teachers, and our community proud for generations to come.
Sid & Linda Jones, Jefferson
