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Poweshiek County Letters to the Editor

$6 million for air conditioning is not the problem

by dhayes on February 1, 2012

Editor, When the priorities of a school district boils down to air conditioning, it explains a lot about the district. The truth of the matter is in the last 15 years, the Montezuma district has had no significant residential housing growth outside of the Lake Ponderosa Area. Valuations of most Montezuma property have not changed [...]

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We’re proud to support our school – vote yes!

by dhayes on February 1, 2012

Editor: The heart of the community lies within the school, and without it our small town dreams die. As 2011 graduates of the Montezuma schools we feel the need to express why the upcoming school bond is so important, not only to the students but also for the entire community. Eventually, taxes are going to [...]

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Vote no for Montezuma’s $6.7 million bond issue

February 1, 2012 Opinion

Editor, I am encouraging voters to vote no for the $6.7 million bond issue on Feb. 7. Montezuma lies in a rural agricultural area. Early settlers in the area had a great deal of common sense. Sadly, proponents of the issue have not displayed old-fashioned common sense. There are excellent boilers in the school and [...]

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Community success is connected to offering good schools

February 1, 2012 Opinion

Editor, Some say that the Montezuma School District will not survive. I believe that school names like B-G-M, L-S-M, NM-SP (North Mahaska-South Poweshiek) should not be in our future. Some say there is no connection between a school’s physical environment and academic success. I believe the research is conclusive: school facilities have a measurable impact [...]

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The right thing to do at the right time

February 1, 2012 Opinion

Editor, Out of 351 school districts in the state of Iowa, Montezuma Community Schools ranks 337th for lowest property tax levy rates. Only 14 school districts have a lower tax levy rate than Montezuma. This is a ranking to be proud of and is the result of many years of good stewardship of the district’s [...]

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The bond issue is ‘not for the kids’

January 24, 2012 Opinion

Editor, The $6,700,000 proposed bond issue is not for the kids. The architect stands to make over $400,000 for the project. There has been pressure from local contractors who have been promised the job. The superintendent is trying to polish his resume in hopes of getting another job at a bigger district. He applied for [...]

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Bond supporter says ‘What’s Up, Doc?’

January 24, 2012 Opinion

Editor: Dr. Hugh’s recent letter to the editor in the Poweshiek County Chronicle Republican reminds me what my good friend Frosty Mitchell once said about the bikini, “What the bikini reveals is interesting. What it conceals is vital!” While the good doctor reveals that the North Mahaska school does not have air-conditioning, he conveniently conceals [...]

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Vote no on upcoming school bond proposal

January 17, 2012 Education

Editor: I attended all four of the Facility Planning Meetings. The sandwiches were great, but the focus of all four meetings was the twice defeated various plans for air-conditioning. Design Alliance then plugged in estimates for different systems of AC. Seven million is ridiculous for a school system with a falling long-term enrollment trend (disregard [...]

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Being held back a grade is bad precedent

January 17, 2012 Education

Editor: Regarding Terry Branstad’s stand on ending social promotion for 3rd graders. Governor Bradstad’s new education guideline states: “Students finishing third grade who do not meet basic literacy requirements across a broad set of measures would be retained and provided intensive reading assistance that could include one-on-one or small group reading supports, summer school programs, [...]

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Libraries are more than books on a shelf

November 1, 2011 Opinion

Editor, Libraries have long been known as the place to go for books of all types. From mysteries to biographies, romance to reference. Now, libraries are also a great source for all different types of games. On Saturday, Nov. 12, more than one thousand libraries across the country will showcase gaming programs and services as [...]

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