In over 40 years teaching/coaching, I always emphasized consequences when it came to decision making for students/players/parents. I am writing to make clear the consequences of this bond issue vote.

If the bond issue does not pass, it signals the end of the GMG district as we know it. Garwin has a 100-year-old terribly inefficient building, which has had two recent catastrophic events.

People clearly need to understand the vote is about where you want your taxes to go whether the district goes to whole grade sharing or is dissolved. Whatever happens means property taxes will be assessed by another district to be paid and spent. Other neighboring districts either have bond issues on the ballot or already passed them, so regardless of where your taxes will now go, you will pay more in taxes.

The other CONSEQUENCE and the one that is most concerning is the LOSS OF TOTAL CONTROL. If you are aware of a district very close to us, you know what this means. Wherever our students attend, that district will have more voters than ours. So, if they want to expand/build for whatever reason or want to close buildings, etc.; we will be outvoted or have little to no say.

In talking with patrons, the only issue the bond issue passing raises is how long will GMG continue to exist. I attended a school board budget meeting in March to get answers. The budget and presentation was prepared by our interim superintendent, who is so good in finance that after retiring, the Iowa-Association-of-School-Boards hired him for finance. He presented a five-year plan that replenishes all of our funds. We will survive.

We now share our Superintendent with Baxter. That saves us dollars and generates sharing money. He is committed to small schools and has no agenda other than to see that GMG continues to exist and offers advantages that small schools offer. Advantages: class size, close relationships between students/teachers, opportunities for students to participate in multiple activities, sports, band/vocal, plays, musicals and speech.

I am going to vote yes because I want my taxes to stay in the district, because I want to continue to have local control, because we have good leadership and a great chance to continue to exist, and because I believe that small schools have tremendous advantages and thus have a meaningful place in our society!

Mark Rodgers

Garwin