From the outside looking in

To the Editor:

I have questions and dreams for the children in our community that don’t exactly line up with the 2023 MCW bond referendum on Nov. 7. Some of them spill over to the levy in 3 years. But I’ll put this out there.

Seldom over five decades have my efforts to save money turned out as advertised and I have found that the best things in life do require a monetary cost and a lot of time spent. The really big picture in my view is what we are teaching our children in this process.

They do need new water pipes and safety measures. They do need natural light for physical and mental well-being. These things alone will cost a lot. Maybe we skip the architectural firm that specializes in new builds and find an advisory firm that thinks outside the box for a broader view. Can we vote $30, $50 or $70 million for the future? Could we purchase solar power and wind turbines for sustainable energy? Can we look into electric vehicles? What curriculum do we not have now that we should be implementing?

Could we be an example of a little school district where instead of building the best facility we could afford we put our money towards the best programs and staff to create the exciting and caring atmosphere we want for them? We can tell our children we did not put buildings in a landfill or burden our communities with the responsibility of repurposing buildings they weren’t prepared for.

Does being the most fiscally responsible option mean it’s the only one? This is not the only factor we consider in our personal lives. If it were, we would all be living in a big city where resources are shared with thousands of others. Living in a rural area means we do pay to transport ourselves everywhere and we do pay more for services.

I vote we adjust our expectations and take care of the air and land for the children in our rural area because we know the importance of both these things. Give them the very best education for the money. It is staff and programs that create the atmosphere more than the physical structures. It is creativity, initiative, knowledge, and compassion for others that count more in life than money.

I want to vote for the really big picture.

Glenda Bloomquist

Trimont