Letter: Referendum is about our future

To the Editor:

Oh for the “good old days” when teachers were only expected to teach. Student participation in sports, band, choir, orchestra and theater were available to students at no extra cost. Discipline problems were things like talking out loud in study hall or wearing your skirts too short. Those were wonderful days for the average student who needed no extra help.

However, times have changed. Students are no longer passed along even if they’re still reading at the second-grade level. They can take part in extracurricular activities only if they can afford the fees or obtain scholarships. Keeping order in school requires the presence of a police officer when all we needed was the presence of Miss Splittstoeser. Many students require Individual Education Plans and far more help than they receive in the average classroom.

Some of this is change for the better. Students no longer graduate from high school without being able to read and write. Appropriate school settings are available for students with individual education needs.

However, Federal and State governments mandate these services without the necessary funding. More and more of the burden has been shifted to local school districts.

We live in a far more competitive world than the “good old days.” To succeed in this world the schools must also be competitive. Ever growing class sizes, an insufficient number of teacher aides, funding shortages for text books all reflect the growing crisis in school funding. This is not about faculty or administration salaries. It is about our young people and the future of our school and community.

Vote yes/yes on the school district referendum.

Peggy Rehder

Red Wing

Tags: opinion, letter, red, wing, school, referendum