Vote yes for the Athens schools referendum

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

To the Editor: The Athens School District is asking voters to approve a non-recurring operating referendum on April 4.

Everyone wants someone to blame. We want to blame the teachers, the administrators, the school board, the economy, state and federal mandates, state funding formulas, etc.

The facts are that Athens School District expenditures are greater than their revenues. We will end the 2022-2023 school year in the red. We are cutting $900,000 in expenses for the next school year, even if this referendum passes, and we still have a projected shortfall in 2023-2024.

Our school mil tax rate of $5.12 is the lowest in Marathon County and 20th lowest in the entire state of Wisconsin. I know my school district taxes went down 15% in 2021 and then an additional 22% in 2022. Can we still be a viable school district and compete with neighboring schools if we don’t increase our taxes and fund the projected shortfalls in the future?

By voting no on April 4th we are not hurting the administration, or the school board, or our state legislators, we are hurting our kids and our community. If you are concerned by the way things are being ran, get involved, run for school board, contact your state representatives, and tell them to support local schools and municipalities. Every vote counts and everyone has a right to express their opinion when voting, but who are you really hurting if you vote no on April 4th.

At this point, I really don’t care who’s to blame. A famous quote states “the secret of change is to focus all your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” Let’s move forward, this referendum is tearing our community apart. Vote Yes for Athens, for our kids and for our community on April 4th.

Bonnie Stange Athens

To the Editor: My name is Alison Reinders and I’m writing today to introduce myself as a candidate for the Edgar School Board of Education, voting is on April 4th. I wanted to share with you why I’ve been drawn to seeking a seat on the Board and provide some insight on my qualifications. My interest has grown after years of attending and being a part of different school meetings and/or committees. I believe that I have the skillset and drive to assist in the governance process (vision, goals, policy). I enjoy digging into policy and finance to fully understand the processes.

My interest was initially sparked when I got involved with the 2010-11 Building Referendum Committee and since then I have continued to stay involved. When the 2021 Operation Referendum came about, I participated in the community meetings. As we all know, the referendum failed. It was interesting though to listen to the different perspectives of residents and really take them to heart. While we are all in the same lake, we are certainly not in the same boat. We all have our own priorities that should be considered and respected. I feel like the community, as a whole, did not agree with the recurring referendum. I am a strong proponent of accountability and understand and appreciate that taxpayers felt this was important too.

The 2022 Operational Referendum came about with a Community Advisory Committee working with the Administration and Board. I was honored to participate. School Administrators spent a great deal of time explaining school finance. It is vastly different from personal or business finance and I enjoyed digging into it. Committee members shared perspectives and challenges were shared and discussed. It’s my opinion that the Administration and Board always kept the best interest of students in mind and at the same

LETTERS time remained fiscally responsible and I stand behind that.

I have spent the last 30 years working at Wynn O. Jones & Associates in Schofield. I am currently the Director of Contract Administration and sit on the Board of Directors for both Wynn Jones & Associates as well as our subsidiary company WOJ Installations. I monitor project finances, review and approve Subcontracts, oversee corporate insurance and employee benefits, and work with our Project Management and Accounting teams in daily operations.

My husband and I moved to Edgar in 2007. We were looking for a nice small community. The fall of 2006 we drove to Edgar, parked at Scotch Creek Park and walked the village streets. We were pleased at how friendly everyone was and decided to make Edgar our home and have been here since! Aside from staying involved in school meetings, I enjoy volunteering and supporting the Edgar FFA as well as the Edgar FFA Alumni working at the annual Dairy Breakfast, Tractor Pull, and selling football concessions.

Thank you so much for your time, and I hope I can count on your vote and support on April 4th.

Alison Reinders Edgar

Athens needs its schools to keep surviving

To the Editor: We have a lot of great things happening in Athens. Progress Athens is working towards the purchase of the US Bank building. Swiderski is looking at a housing development in the village. These things in addition to the existing businesses, schools and people make our community great. These things only happen if we have a strong school, which is the backbone of a small community.

Everyone says they’ll do anything for the kids, and I’m the same. If they knock on my door and are selling fruit, I buy it. If they’re selling fundraising cards, I’m buying. We stream their sporting events to watch on TV and we travel hours to watch them in person. Why do we do these things? Because we enjoy watching them compete, we want them to do well, and we take pride in our school and our community. We want our kids to succeed.

Our school is asking us for support this April for a non-recurring referendum. This is a no thrills request; it keeps basic programs and services in the district. The one in November failed. People stated they didn’t like that it was recurring, this one is not. People wanted to see cuts made. They are making $900,000 in cuts this year (these cuts will happen even if this referendum passes).

Small schools can survive and thrive, but they cannot do it without community support. If we’re willing to do anything for the kids, we need to walk the walk and not just talk the talk. Vote YES on April 4th for the Athens School District referendum.

I am a taxpayer, former business owner and Athens School District Alumni. Jay Ellenbecker Athens