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July
27, 2013
Strong
Schools Strong Community
By Marv & Millie Stammen
Note:
While submitted as a
letter to the editor, CNO has chosen to start this on the Home page due
to its
content.
There
have been many letters and discussions about the benefits of
new school facilities used in the education of our young people. There has been debate
about the benefits of
new school buildings in regard to enhancing economic development of
communities. As one
who has been directly involved in
economic development in our community for many years, I can very
definitively
say strong schools are a very important part of the overall fabric of a
community that is an attractor to business and even more so to those
people who
manage and operate those businesses.
I
can’t tell you how many times (to my great frustration) I called
on some executive who was coming to work at one of our companies who
was not
going to live here in large measure because of our schools. Our facilities were part
of their
perception. This
was the primary reason
we formed a Business Advisory Committee for the school system. We wanted to convince and
work with the
school administration on the importance of good schools to the economic
development
efforts of our community.
Every
time a professional chooses not to live in our community, we
lose their talents and their resources.
They don’t buy houses, groceries, shop
at our stores, pay taxes, and as
a former banker, we lost a potential customer.
New modern facilities not only have an
indirect correlation with how
educators educate, but the ramifications go well beyond buildings for
educational benefits. They
are part of
the fabric and personality and energy of that community that sends a
message to
others as to what kind of community we are.
Is it the kind of community in which
someone from the outside would want
to live? Do we have
enough pride in
ourselves to support the education of our children?
How do we look to the outside? Are we progressive or are
we dying.
There
is no better slogan than “Strong Schools – Strong Community”. It is time to take
advantage of the
opportunity we have to make sure this phrase is reality. Please join my wife Millie
and I in voting
for the levy on August 6th.
Millie
and Marv Stammen
Greenville
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