Your View — Our schools can’t rely on the state

Virgil Benesh, Mankato

April 27, 2008 01:02 am

— No longer can we count on the state to fund and support our educational system. Nor do we want the state to determine how good (or poor) our schools will be. Good schools attract and create good citizens, second rate schools attract and create second rate citizens.
Superintendent Ed Waltman and the school board have done an admirable job of giving us great value for our taxes, but there comes a point where we need to open our minds and pocketbooks to prepare for future growth. At the same time, if we must pay an additional tax, it makes the most sense for us to fund projects that directly benefit the Mankato area. The upcoming school district referendum will determine whether the Mankato school system remains a premier attraction to the area or fades to a second-class entity.
Our population continues to grow and enrollment in our district will continue to increase, so we need to act now to preserve the quality of our schools and our educational process. Since the benefits from the referendum will not be immediate (design and construction take time), it becomes more imperative that we act now.
For most of us the cost will be 25 cents or less per day in increased taxes — the price of a gumball. How can we not spend 25 cents a day on the future of this community?
We all share the pride of seeing former Mankato students make their mark in society and for that to continue we need to take the initiative, pass this referendum and ensure that Mankato schools remain “best of class.”