Montezuma votes on school bond issue

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Montezuma faces a crossroads for it’s school system. The district is voting on an 11.5 million dollar bond issue.  The current school is in need of repairs and some items brought up to code.

I visited Montezuma today, a trip back in time of sorts for me. As a 1989 graduate of Montezuma my interest in the subject was peaked with the various comments and opinions shared on Facebook and other media. Time seemed to rewind for me as I took a stroll towards my parents former home where I grew up. As I walked that all to familiar sidewalk on the way “home” I found myself unconsciously avoiding those rough spots in sidewalks and curbs from my childhood that had remained over time.

It’s easy to want to have that sense of familiarity, and the sense of security and stability comes from that. Some of those feelings can be found with residents that are resistant towards plans of the bond issue. Change is always difficult, but as with one’s self, a community must grow to survive as well. There are things from a now outsiders viewpoint that could be done differently, and possibly better. Those await for another day.

Vote Yes M.O.N.T.E. signs could be found easily around town.

People usually don’t spend what they don’t have, and that’s a genuine concern with those that feel this isn’t the right time to be taking on more debt, and taxing the property owners even more. Higher taxes can been seen as a detriment to helping to attract new business and industry. Budgets and other finances already stretched paper thin can start to buckle under added stress, and in this case people’s nerves as well.

The are questions raised by some about the project. Many wonder how the school building could be in such ill repair. Why have what seems to be basic maintenance repairs not been performed in order to keep the school buildings in a better condition. Questions of the school board if someone on the board stands to profit from the building of the school. Others seem to think they see the writing on the wall of consolidation in the future anyway, why put all this money into something that is doomed to fail. If these questions had been answered fully is yet to be seen.

The path to Montezuma's school bond issues could prove to be a long road ahead.

State and Federal code covering public buildings and schools always adds extra layers of complexity to these things. It makes it harder to just “repair” and even in some cases just to maintain. But a school and many in the district believe that maintaining the status the way it has been will eventually lead to the demise of the school district. What it takes to make it into the workforce and college is more demanding than ever. I was one of the last to graduate from there before the 1990 remodels (a cost of 1.5 million), and what is expected of a school to provide has ballooned over time.

The idea is sound, borrow while the borrowing is good. Do the project in one shot, and move on. Give Monte a fighting chance to continue it’s proud tradition for years to come. Monte, as many other small towns, has to fight and struggle to maintain and grow in order to be relevant. One can worry that a manufacturing plant will leave, will we maintain this base needed. But as an athlete one knows that you have to rebuild that muscle in order to get stronger, so must a town rebuild itself while maintaining it’s identity. How and at what cost, is for it’s residents to decide.

I will close with a quote from the 1989 yearbook that I re-discovered today while seeing the lengthy voting line for myself. What’s in a name. Montezuma High School, this name means different things to different people. To some it is a place to escape from family life and spending time with friends. To others it is a place to learn. Most students find a place somewhere in between where they feel comfortable. Whatever you desire, Montezuma has it. Maybe a good phrase to describe Montezuma would be ‘everything in moderation’. A student doesn’t have to compete to be in extra circular activities, nor does a student have to specialize in one area.

September 15 Update: The measure was defeated on the September 14th vote. A 60% majority was needed for the passage and the measure garnered only about 40% approval. The school had no comment before or since on the matter, but the school board meets again on the 22nd of September. Keith Brake has more details on how the vote broke down, visit him HERE.