Anticipating a robust discussion on the levy referendum

By: 
John Mueller, news@newpraguetimes.com

The New Prague Area School District’s board of directors is asking voters to OK a levy referendum Nov. 7 intended to bring in money for educational and operating expenses.

We look forward to a vigorous, well-presented, respectful discussion on the levy request in which both the district, its supporters and people with concerns or those opposed to the request present their respective positions based on merits and not rumor, innuendo and misinformation.

Regardless of your position on the request, it is too important an issue to receive anything less.

Not a great start

We hope the discussion will get off to a better start than it did Aug. 21 when Mark Bartusek, the school board’s vice chairperson running the meeting in Director Matt Goldade’s absence, announced the school board would not allow public comment on a possible levy referendum and the survey completed in early August where the responses supported the notion of asking residents to back a levy referendum. The rationale was disappointing.

Why? Because the board took comment on a possible levy referendum back in June when it took advantage of the state legislature allowing school districts to renew a levy without voter approval. Because it took public comment in June, the school district said state law did not require it to take public comment during a special meeting Aug. 21 to approve holding a referendum when it ultimately passed a resolution formalizing its plan to ask voters for approval of approximately $450 per pupil unit for 10 years.

In other words, the board declined taking public comment during the special meeting Aug. 21 because it was not required to accept it.

It was not a good look.

Members of public bodies should always listen to the people they govern, even when they have reason to anticipate the commentary will likely be unfavorable.

By refusing to allow one speaker a few minutes to address the board on a topic this important during a truncated meeting, the board allows people to see it in an unfavorable light. It allowed the speaker to tell neighbors, friends and social media followers the school board wouldn’t listen.

If the speaker presented what the board feels is inaccurate information, the district should correct it. Yes, the board has a policy not to respond to public comment, but it should not be a prisoner to that policy. The issue is too important.

The district can still present what it deems to be accurate information and let people make their own decision on the district’s request for additional tax revenue.

A brief explanation

We have been asked a couple of times during the past week about the note at the end of a letter to the editor in the Aug. 31 edition of The New Prague Times from a writer supporting the school district’s levy referendum (Recalling the days of split shifts, she supports levy referendum; Aug., 31) from Becky Wolf of New Prague and Les Fierst’s letter (Full transparency on the fall school levy referendum, please; Aug. 31) raising questions about the proposed referendum.

On Aug. 21, the school board formally approved by resolution it would ask voters to approve a levy referendum. In the Aug. 24 print edition of The New Prague Times, we announced, there would be a fee for election-related letters on the referendum. Fierst’s letter was written before the board made its decision and that edition went to press. Wolf’s letter was written after the school district vote on the resolution.

It’s a matter of timing. The New Prague Times had to enact its elections letters policy at some point. As we previously announced, as of Aug. 28, letters for and against the referendum will be subject to the newspaper’s policy regarding election letters and the note about being a paid political letter to the editor.

Thanks for reading The New Prague Times.

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