Letters

Looking for a college friend

I have been trying to find a collage friend; she was born in St. Johns. Her name is Gloria Kurncz, 1973 St. Johns high school graduate.

I would be gratefull if someone could send me her email or mailing address.

Best Regards
A.Dossary
kslmn11@aol.com

Remember this when you vote on the 5th

Over and over again I hear and read that this bond proposal will not increase my taxes; they’ll just stay the same. To set the right example for our children, we need to just call it what it really is. This bond proposal will cost $73,975,000 and it’s going to cost our family about $6,000. Simply put, if someone chooses to buy something, they will have to pay the bill.

Regardless of what we spend today, in ten years there will be another bond proposal. When will that get paid? Will it be 40 or 50 years down the road?

Also, we need to be concerned about the closing of the outlying four schools and what it will cost in per pupil student funding when parents choose to send their children to other school districts because they are closer, smaller, or want to keep all their children in one K-5 elementary school.

Near the four outlying schools, there are five other public school districts that are closer than the existing and proposed schools in St. Johns to the families living in the East Olive, East Essex, Riley and Eureka areas.

Those other districts would have no problem sending buses a mile or two out of the way to pick up children for around $7,600.00 in per pupil state funding. I have seen this happen. One of the goals listed for the bond proposal was to stop intra-district schools of choice. Even if there is no longer intra-district school of choice, this proposal does not stop out-of-district school of choice. Please consider these issues when voting on the 5th.

John L.Warnke,
St. Johns

Honor the 1995 bond first

I am writing concerning the proposed school bond extension vote on May 5th.

For examples sake, lets say you have a seven-year-old second grader in the St. Johns School District. If this bond extension passes, do you realize your child will be 37 years old before this proposed new debt will be paid off in 2039? Isnt this kind of crazy? Must we always continue to saddle ourselves and our children with more debt?

I am voting no on May 5th. And then I am looking forward to the current 7.0 mills on my tax bill decreasing to an estimated 4.25 mills in 2011. And to an estimated 4.00 mills in 2012. And decreasing again and again year after year until the existing 1995 bond debt ends in 2025. As a taxpayer, I cant wait for my tax bill to actually decrease.

Lets see the school honor the bond payoff that the voters approved in 1995. Our tax bills are about to go down, unless we vote yes and burden ourselves, our children, and grandchildren with more debt.

David J. Smith
St. Johns