Dear voters in the Southland School District,

We face a crucial bond issue. I hope that you will vote “Yes” to the two bond questions, considering these points.

As an educator in the district, I can answer the question “Do we need to update our facilities?” Yes. To incorporate elementary and to meet code and safety standards, our Adams building must be improved. Let’s give our students an environment conducive to learning, not one that puts them at any kind of disadvantage. The gym? Yes, let’s promote physical education, including sports to foster healthy growth for our children.

There is a notion that Southland could dissolve and students be absorbed into surrounding districts. We are at that point. But are we willing to risk the outstanding education we expect at Southland, our identity, our local vitality and added tax responsibilities? Southland students are known to local employers as good workers and college bound students are well prepared for success.

As a rural community, we are aware that farmers and business owners take a hard hit with a bond and nobody wants to take them down. I think legislators are beginning to understand this because of the current 40 percent tax break on ag land. These are political issues for which we need to raise our collective voice! Why shouldn’t our students have the same opportunities as larger and urban schools without threatening our very economic base?

The bottom line is it is our duty and responsibility to educate our young – and our greatest legacy.We can be proud of our students who go forward from here and are leaders in their professions. Many of our graduates settle in this rich and wholesome community where we support one another. I often think of our forebears who first built our schools and churches, homes and businesses. They had a vision for the future, took nothing for granted and sacrificed to make a place where they could live their values. I hope that spirit still lives in us.

How can we continue to prepare our students for today’s world while keeping the character that makes us proud to be Southland? Please help us take a strong Rebel step forward.

Respectfully,

Laura Freund, teacher, parent, taxpayer, neighbor