OUR COMMON SENSE RESPONSE TO:
Hilarie Welsh's Letter to the Editor
[Paywalled.]
Welsh vs. Vote NO
Your letter seems to be an echo of more threats if we don’t vote "Yes."
by Paul Kern , Chair
She said:
... she's heard, "Vote no to save Jefferson."
We say:
You haven't heard "Vote no to save Jefferson" from the Vote NO Committee. But, we've heard loud and clear that a yes Vote does not save Jefferson.
She said:
"...a No vote will not lead to renovating Washington."
We say:
A No Vote will surely motivate the District to look at a renovation as a viable, tax-efficient option.
She said:
"If our community votes no, the district has laid out what will happen, which might include discontinued extra-curricular programming..."
We say:
What does a No vote have to do with extra-curricular programming?
She said:
"If our community votes no, the district has laid out what will happen, which might include ... larger class sizes..."
We say:
What does a No vote have to do with increased class sizes? There are options other than building a new school, such as an addition to Washington to accommodate 170 more students to the current school.
She said:
"If our community votes no, the district has laid out what will happen, which might include ... eighth-graders at the high schools ..."
We say:
The District has threatened to move eight graders to high school. Why not go back to a Junior High – Elementary Model?
She said:
"If our community votes no, the district has laid out what will happen, which might include ... additional school closures."
We say:
What schools are going to close? If the District knows now, they should be transparent with this information. There will be additional school closings, whether you vote No or not, due to declining enrollment.
She said:
"The best option is the one on the Nov. 4 ballot: to construct a new middle school at the Washington site."
We say:
You and the District believe the “best option” is to build a new middle school. Many people in our community believe they should remodel Washington using taxpayer money in the most efficient way.
She said:
"Our kids and our community need your support."
We say:
You say our kids and community need our support for a new school.
A building does not define the quality of education.
Dubuque Students and Dubuque Deserve Better.