Say yes to the referendum

Dear Editor,

Schools are the heartbeat of every community.  Investing in public education yields long-term benefits for individuals and society.  Public education is about much more than personal achievement; it’s about preparing people to work together to advance not just themselves, but society.

On November 5th the Dodgeville School District will be asking the community to approve an operating referendum to balance the budget. Dodgeville is not alone; within the next three years, 28 of the 31 districts in our area will be pursuing referendums to balance their budgets. There are many reasons why Dodgeville and so many other school districts are in this position; the inadequacy of state funding of schools, declining enrollment due to lower birth rates, inflationary costs (the cost of the most popular food has increased by 16%, the cost of Chromebooks has increased by 22%, and health insurance has increased by 17% to name a few), etc.

Dodgeville schools have already made cuts to help balance the budget by reducing staffing levels (through attrition, there were no layoffs), delaying building maintenance, and cutting spending for athletics, technology, and transportation.  If the referendum does not pass the district will have to rely on short-term borrowing and will face the elimination of programs currently being offered. Please visit the District’s website to learn the facts about the 2024 operating referendum https://sites.google.com/draschools.org/referendum/home.  Also plan on attending one of the six community Informational sessions to further your knowledge as to why the referendum is needed and to ask questions.

Finally, if you would like a yard sign in support the referendum, please email: yestododgevillekids@gmail.com

Say YES to Dodgeville Kids and vote YES on the operating referendum!

Aimee Eicher

Dodgeville, WI