Dear editor,

This letter is in response to Mr. Furner’s letter to the editor from Monday, Feb. 13.

We would like to clarify and correct many of his comments.  First, the $31 million bond rejected by voters last May was for 30 years, not the 20 that he stated. The Feb. 28 $19.5 million bond is for 25 years (five years less than the original bond).

Also, he suggests that there has to be a phase two to this school project. There is no guarantee that there will be a second phase. The district will continue to monitor the economy. If the district feels there may be additional needs, a survey would be taken to determine if the community feels the time is right.

The comment was also made that our facilities are overcrowded now that we have closed Stark Elementary. This statement has never been made by the district. Also, there was no need to layoff teachers; we did not cut classrooms. We had room for all students and teachers in Moccasin and Ottawa. The reason there are school vehicles present at Stark is because it is now being used as storage; the school system is inventorying materials and supplies. Rather than pay for storage space, we are using our resources.

Mr. Furner made the statement that taxes will double if you put your taxes in with your mortgage. How would this happen? For example, we have our taxes put into our mortgage, and we know for a fact that our taxes are only increasing around $5.50 a month with this bond proposal. If people want to see how much their taxes will increase, they should go to www.mytaxcalc.com/buchanan/Introduction_Sheet.aspx, rather than just assume what people are telling them is correct. It’s always best to find out for yourself.

There was also a comment made about a $1 million grant for technology for our schools. The fact is, the high school had a few years of poor standardized test scores.  As a result, they received a grant for the high school only. This grant was used for technology, interventionists, training and many other things that have helped the high school improve. The results of this grant have already been seen. Buchanan High School was ranked the No. 1 high school in Berrien County this past year based on test scores. We were also ranked as one of the “best of the best” schools in Michigan based on our improvement. Again, this grant was only for the high school; it could not be used for the entire district.

We personally feel that this is the right time to go to the polls. Our schools need this to pass for the future of our children, our schools and our community. We know there will be arguments of when and why to bring it to the voters, but when is there ever a perfect time?

Also, it is time to forget the middle school being built without the voters’ consent. These current students, teachers and administration had nothing to do with that school being built. To continue to punish the people of today — and the future — for an issue from close to 40 years ago is regrettable, in our opinion. Please head to the polls on Feb. 28 and support Buchanan Community Schools!

If you need any more information on the bond issue, go to educationboosters.buchananschools.com.

Sincerely,

Brian Pruett

Ruth and Wayne Writer

Buchanan