Letter to the Editor

Vote yes for Proposition S

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Dear Editor,

I am writing in support of Proposition S. Voting yes on April 6 will ensure that a new school will be built in the Northeast Vernon County School District.

My husband and I are the parents of a second grader and ninth grader who attend NEVC and we are very proud of the board of education, who have spent a lot of time researching what is available for our school district -- contacting state and federal representatives, numerous bankers, architects, construction companies, energy companies and the community. Robert and I truly feel that our board of education has been conservative fiscal servants of our district and would not even suggest this building plan unless now was the time to build a new school. The Northeast Vernon County School District has outstanding administrators, teachers, and staff who go above and beyond the call of a paycheck to meet the educational needs of our children. The outstanding achievements of our student body have been recognized not only regionally, but in state and national competition, as well as evidence of the hard work that is being provided.

The fact of the matter is, that we are paying for two old school buildings, both built in 1929, that have served their purpose and now the costs of up-keep, energy, duplicate staffing and modernization of these buildings are fiscally irresponsible, costing our district tax payers tens of thousands of dollars each year and to what end? -- Useless, wasteful spending of taxpayers' money, while this funding could be put towards a new facility with the technology to advance our children in their education, better preparing them to enter into the workforce of today and the future. Yes, the economy is bad, but this has also opened a door of opportunity for us, -- construction costs are at a 20 year low, energy costs are continuing to increase and by building this new, energy efficient facility now, we have the potential to cut those costs by 30 to 50 percent, a $30,000 to $40,000 savings. Also, through the Qualified School Construction Bond from the federal stimulus package, we can get a low interest rate on $1.2 million -- estimated to be between 1 and 2 percent, this in itself shortens our bond loan by approximately 5 to 6 years. Also, simply by becoming an energy efficient facility we will become eligible for other grants available through various programs.

In 1867 our family, Dr. Eugene R. Morerod, settled in the Schell City-Walker area and made this our community. My husband is a fifth generation farmer and it is our hope to see our children continue in this community as the sixth generation of our family to live, work, and raise families of their own here. Our family has always been pro-family, pro-education and pro-community. It is time to build this school, not only for our children, but also for our community. Our forefathers had the capacity to plan not only for today, but for the future. They weathered many economic, environmental, and political storms, but they overcame these hardships through their faith, values, determination, and the desire to pass on something better to the generation following them. Let us follow in their footsteps.

Common sense and an honest appraisal of the facts tell us that now is the time to build for our children's future. Vote "YES" on Proposition S. It's not a matter of "if" but "when" we build a new school. Don't let the resources that we have available to us today slip through our hands and cost us more in the future.

Confused by all of the speculation out there? Please visit www.nevcknights.org or call (417) 465-2221 and get the facts. We welcome any and all questions regarding the construction of our new school building.

Sincerely,

Denise Fox