Some people just don’t get it. These naysayers, in an attempt to hold bond-issue proposals hostage by criticizing school board members and the administration for their decision to provide $1 million to Mesa State College as part of an endeavor for a constructive win-win partnership, are
wrong. This attitude only proves ignorance and perpetuates misinformation.

This all started with the word “donation,” used by many media outlets and heard or read by many citizens. This proposal was well thought out and studied before the correct decision was reached by the board of education at a fraction of the cost to help enhance a community athletic facility for
District 51 and Mesa State students. What a great partnership.

Soon after, JUCO, the city of Grand Junction, the Denver Broncos and District 51 worked together as partners to enhance the facilities at Stocker Stadium. These are only two of hundreds of partnerships District 51 has entered into with numerous entities all with incredible success.

If naysayers don’t want to vote for the bond then don’t vote for it, but don’t use the district’s partnerships, which save millions of dollars to taxpayers in a variety of programs, as a scapegoat.

The administration and board have proved to be great stewards of the public’s tax dollars. Now if
the public would take some responsibility from home by making school a priority, we can make some progress with academic scores that seem to be a burden on everyone’s mind.

STEVE PHILLIPS
Grand Junction

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 30th, 2008 at 3:42 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.