Dear Editor,
I want to begin by saying thank you to the taxpayers of Dodgeville and Iowa-Grant who paid for my public education. I attended DES for kindergarten and was lucky to have Mrs. Price as my teacher. She was the kindest person and is one of the reasons I chose education as my career. I was fortunate to receive a quality public education, and I know that opportunity was made possible because previous generations of taxpayers were willing to invest in their schools.
Now, it is my turn to do the same. I consider paying school taxes part of my civic responsibility. I want Dodgeville to have a school. I want our children to have the opportunity to receive a quality public education in their own community. And I want Dodgeville to remain a community where families want to live, work, raise their children and invest in a home.
The numbers are important.
Dodgeville ranks 26th out of 31 CESA 3 districts in spending per student. That means 25 districts spend more per student than Dodgeville.
Dodgeville spends approximately $18,000 per student, compared with a state average of $18,864 – about $864 less per student than the state average. (Information Sheet about Referendum)
These numbers matter because we need to have an honest conversation about what we expect from our public schools and what we are willing to invest in them.
I understand that property taxes matter. They matter to me, too. Every taxpayer has a budget and every dollar counts. But taxes are also an investment in the community we live in.
I want Dodgeville to have a school. A school is not simply a building where children attend classes. It is one of the anchors of a community. It brings families here. It employs people here. It supports local businesses. It provides opportunities for students, families, and community members. And it contributes to the identity and vitality of Dodgeville.
We also need to think about what happens if we don’t make the investments necessary to maintain our school district.
If Dodgeville were to lose its school district, our children would still need to be educated. Our families would still need to pay taxes to support public education. But we could lose something that is extremely difficult to replace: a school in our own community.
And what would that mean for Dodgeville as a place to live?
A community without a local school could become less attractive to families looking for a place to put down roots. It could make it more difficult to attract new residents and potentially affect demand for homes in our community. For homeowners, that could mean fewer prospective buyers and potentially declining property values.
I benefited from taxpayers who came before me. They made the decision to invest in my education. Now it is my turn to help provide that same opportunity for the next generation.
Sincerely, Ann Fillback Watt, Dodgeville, WI