Vox Pop - Writer questions need for Medford school referendum

Vox Pop

The Medford School District is once again going to try to have a referendum added to the election ballot.

Let’s assess this proposal. This will be the fourth try, asking taxpayers for many millions of dollars.

Taxpayers have seen their real estate taxes go up, what one paid for groceries just a few years ago, is now almost, if not tripled in price. Gas prices, as well as diesel fuel have gone up considerably. Just about anything one purchases is much higher. Etc.

Needs and wants, they wanted artificial turf, a roof could have been fixed, They bought land, a want, they could have fixed the other roof.

Was that Barn they built needed or a want? Several boilers could have been replaced. They are talking about more building or at least connecting two building areas.

Are our kids so soft that they can’t walk a short distance?

There are old electrical issues, as well as plumbing, that need fixing.

It isn’t a building that makes a school. I have witnessed several examples that make me scratch my head. I helped in our town at the recycle center. On several occasions as I would hand the clipboard to the citizen, to sign, both young men, one Amish, his signature was beautifully written script and legible.

The next young man English, His signature totally illegible. I recently witnessed a young store clerk , who could not figure out how much change to give the customer, even grabbing her calculator she was baffled.

I once handed a note to a young person, written in script, he looked at me and said, “I can’t read this!”

Talking to a worker at a local business, who told me, that a new hire, was asked what a 1/2 in or ¼ in etc. was, when they are handed a ruler. They couldn’t show him.

All these young people were educated in the Medford School District! Something is wrong here.

Reading, writing and Arithmetic have fallen by the way. Ipads, and Phones today are a great distraction to our kids, but both of these items are manageable and controllable.

But yet you push sports and all that it entails but I ask you “is sports the subject that will help a young person become a productive , capable member of society?”

I do want to commend this school district, You have great teachers and support staff in the Special Needs Department.

— Catherine Bristol, Medford Editor note: Both the field turf project and the School Barn project received considerable private donations from community members, businesses and alumni to make them possible.