Let’s be clear.
This is small-town Iowa. Our children/grandchildren walking the halls of our schools today are very likely our teachers, business owners, parents, and community leaders of tomorrow. Let’s lead by example and show them that we care about their future enough to invest in it.
Our grandparents/parents stepped up to the plate to support us in years when our federal tax rates were much higher than they are today. Now it seems these signs are saying, “I got mine, good luck getting yours.”
When I tell folks I’m from Sgt. Bluff, often they laugh and reply, “Pass a Bond lately?”
For the past 20 years, every time a bond referendum has been tried, these recycled Vote No signs have popped up with the same old unacceptable solutions offered. This Vote No group has zero interest in “paying it forward” or improving the school facilities in our community. Nor is it about an increase in real estate taxes.
I believe this coalition originated the slogan “SBL: Sports Before Learning.” That this slogan has endured is particularly troublesome when our community has been trying to pass a bond for a new school for almost 2 decades. How is it that the narrative persists that this bond issue is somehow just about sports? The pressing need is to replace the Primary Building.
Remember, in 2006, we could have had a new high school, elementary and sports complex for $39 million when material and building costs were much lower than today.
Why do you think the school district has kept trying for the last 2 decades? It is not a want; it is a need.
Dear Editor:
As a mom of two children currently in our primary school, the upcoming school bond vote is personal to me.
Every morning, I send my kids through those doors trusting they'll be safe, cared for, and given the opportunity to learn and grow. And I have no doubt the teachers and staff inside those walls are doing everything they can to make that happen!
But the reality is that the building itself is facing challenges that can no longer be ignored.
Our primary school has served generations of families since the late 1950s. And while there's something special about that history, the concerns surrounding safety, water intrusion, accessibility, aging classrooms, and air quality are real. These aren't simply wishes for something bigger or better. They're needs that deserve our attention.
I understand that voting YES comes with financial commitment. I don't take that lightly, and I respect that families and taxpayers have questions and concerns.
But here's what keeps coming back to me…by the time a new or renovated primary school is completed, my children will have moved on. They won't get to enjoy the new classrooms or updated spaces, and I'm okay with that.
Because this isn't just about my kids.
It's about the children who will walk through those doors long after mine have moved on. It's about the teachers and staff who pour into our kids every single day. And it's about the kind of community we want to leave for the next generation.
I'm grateful for the people who make our school such a special place. I believe they deserve a building that supports the wonderful work they're doing.
As we approach this vote, I hope conversations are filled with kindness, understanding, and a shared love for our community, even if we don't agree.
I'll be voting YES. Not because my children will benefit from a new school, but because I believe the children who come after them deserve that opportunity, too.
~McKenzie Matasovsky, Parent and Community Member
Dear Editor:
A View from the Inside….
Every August the Primary school is buzzing with teachers, custodians, lunch staff, administrators, day care providers, and paraprofessionals working with rigor and anticipation for the beginning of the school year. Setting up classrooms, making copies, preparing materials, setting up small group rotations, and studying the incoming class are all things that teachers can prepare for and look forward to each and every year. It is a very exciting time and I have witnessed firsthand the amount of sweat, tears, early mornings, late nights, and tireless preparation our amazing staff members have dedicated to perfecting their craft.
What we cannot ever prepare for are the unknown issues that arise in our building that impede on our students and staff regularly at the Primary School. Each fall we battle fluctuating classroom temperatures ranging from nearly the Arctic cold to the desert in mid-summer. This may sound a bit dramatic, but when you have a classroom full of 22 students, no proper air movement, and a temperature hovering around 85 degrees, it makes it very difficult for students to focus and learn. Late summer rains may trigger a sewer to backup giving off a terrible smell, closing bathrooms, or even closing school. Having to walk 22 students across the school, quietly, to find a working restroom is not recommended by any teacher (especially Kindergarten) but has to be done and is a loss of instructional time. Inadvertent fire alarms due to rain water leaking into the system causes everyone in the building to evacuate and wait for the all clear from the fire department to return to learning. Sometimes this takes 10 minutes, other times it takes much longer. We have even spent full afternoons at the Elementary Building waiting for the call to return!
During the winter months drafty windows, inadequate heating, glycol leaks, and the yearly mouse raid create even more issues. It is not uncommon for us to set multiple traps a day for long periods of time trying to catch what I can only describe as the “James Bond” of mice. Trying to get a classroom to refocus after watching a mouse scurry across the floor is highly NOT recommended. Teachers are trying to balance learning with basic comfort needs, which is a tricky task. Coats, hats, and gloves become necessary in the classroom to meet students' needs just so they can be comfortable enough to learn. This usually isn’t a big deal… until the smell hits. Sweaty coats, gloves, and hats tend to give off a smell that resembles a wet dog and take personal attacks on everyone's noses.
Spring brings its own challenges as heavy rains cause roof leaks, mold growth, hallway flooding, and high humidity in the building. It is a common sight to walk into the library or gym and find multiple buckets on the floor catching the rain water as it drips down from the ceiling, fans blowing at high speed near doors because rain water has rushed into the building from under door frames, and ceiling tiles changing colors due to water saturation. If you were to enter a classroom, you might think it is the end of May as everything on the walls has somehow found its way to the floor. Believe me, this is not teachers anticipating the end of the school year, this is the effect of high humidity levels causing moisture to build up on the walls. No amount of hot glue, sticky tack, glue dots, or tape is strong enough to withstand the humidity fluctuations in the building.
As you might have seen, SB-L Schools have just been named one of the U.S. News & World Reports Best Schools! What an amazing accomplishment for our community, staff, and students and I know we all have great pride in our school. Our students accomplish great things each and every day and it’s time to give them a building that is just as amazing as they are!
~ Mr. Michael Beavers, SB-L Primary/Middle Schools
Dear Editor:
I recently read the story Stone Soup to my students. If you have never read the story, a traveler walks into a village with nothing but the clothes he is wearing and a stone. After walking so far and so long, he is hungry, so he asks the villagers for something to eat. Villager after villager says the same thing, “I have nothing extra to give you. It’s been a poor harvest, and I barely have enough to eat myself.”
The traveler says that he will then make the best soup ever from the stone in his pocket. He heats a pot of water and adds the stone. The traveler then tastes the soup and declares it delicious, but it could be better if someone had a carrot to add. A villager states that she has a carrot to give and goes to get it. The traveler adds the carrot and tastes it. He reiterates that the soup is delicious, but it could use some chicken. Again, a villager says he has some chicken and goes to get it.
This continues until at last some bread and apple cider are added to the meal and the traveler announces that it is now a feast fit for a king. The traveler and the villagers sit down to eat and ate until their bellies were full. The traveler left with his stone and the village learned an important lesson that day: individually, they barely had enough for themselves but together they had a meal fit for king and the entire village.
This story got me thinking about the upcoming school bond. I know we are all “taxed enough” and many are stretching paychecks and scraping the bottom of bank accounts just to make ends meet. However, someone long before you and me made the decision to sacrifice a little to benefit the whole, not just for their children but for the many generations yet to come.
I am asking you to please consider giving a little now so our children and all future children will have a school fit for a whole new generation and generations to come. Thank you for your consideration.
~ JoAnn Roos, teacher at SBL Primary
Small town elections are important
For weeks, candidate ads have dominated television viewing. Text messages and phone calls are nonstop. Yard signs are popping up like my late season tomatoes.
Much of this messaging is for candidates who will serve in Washington, D.C., or in the State House. While that part of the ballot is important, the most direct and immediate impact on your daily life comes from elections on the local level.
In small towns, people who are elected to the city council, school board, county board, and other local entities make decisions with a big impact. Decisions like the quality of the roads you drive on or the water you drink, what curricula is covered in school, when the pool is open during the summer, and how your tax dollars are spent.
Your voice matters. Your vote matters.
In our rural communities, often a small number of voters end up choosing local leaders. Sometimes the numbers come down to a single digit. These leaders will make decisions on that pothole, new fire truck, snow removal, or county road maintenance.
Before Nov. 3, take a look at the ballot. Sample ballots could be found on the county website or you can find them in your local newspaper. Ask questions. Listen to what candidates say. Look at what they have done.
You don’t need to know everything about every candidate. You don’t need to personally know everyone who is running. You just need to pay attention.
On election day when you fill in those circles, keep in mind this is your vote. It doesn’t belong to your neighbor. It doesn’t belong to your family. You matter.
Make voting a priority this year.
~ Heidi Kolbeck-Urlacher, Policy Director, Center for Rural Affairs
