Letter to the editor,
Born, raised and graduated high school in Jefferson, went away to live in the big city and now my wife and I have returned with four kids calling Jefferson our home once again. I have always been proud of my small rural town upbringing and I am excited to raise our kids here, too. My wife and I have enjoyed being actively involved in our community with so many dedicated individuals who work hard everyday to make Jefferson and Greene County a better place to live for future generations.
The school bond is a perfect example of preparing our youth for the future. Nobody can tell you what the future will hold, but I can tell you that when I graduated high school in 2002 the iPhone wasn’t invented, and the following companies didn’t exist: Uber, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, Netflix, and AirBnB. Bonus fun fact, Metallica tried coming after me for illegally downloading music on Napster which today you can stream for free on Spotify. These companies are some of the largest in the world right now and weren’t even started when I was being educated in high school.
The world is changing so quickly because of technology and the educational system needs to adapt, too. There are arguments that there is enough free, high-quality content out on the internet that you could educate yourself. I still feel the need for an adaptive learning institution that will allow for hands on learning to best suit the youth of Greene County by preparing them for jobs that don’t even exist today.
Passing of the school bond will make our community more attractive and help keep businesses in Greene County. Businesses pay higher commercial property taxes to help share the load. If the school bond doesn’t pass, the lack of support from the community could be a reason for businesses to move to another county that is more supportive and progressive. If businesses who pay higher commercial rates start leaving Greene County, the infrastructure costs remain the same and will have to be covered by the remaining residents- resulting in yet again higher taxes.
Amazing things have been happening in Greene County with recognition state-wide, nationally, and even internationally, and the passage of the school bond will continue to showcase why it is so great to live, work and play in Greene County. Please join me in voting yes on April 3rd.
Jamie Daubendiek, Jefferson
