When the campaign was conducted last year on a referendum to rebuild Lake Central High School and to replace Protsman Elementary School, both sides should have competed on a level playing field.
A Sept. 8 email from Lake Central School Corp. Superintendent Larry Veracco, however, indicates that was not the case. District resources were used to promote the tax increase necessary for the building projects, but an opposing group was denied access to those same resources.
The referendum met with the right result, and the outcome should stand. The construction projects are necessary and are scaled correctly. They are necessary for the benefit of the students and of the community. Good schools lead to high property values.
However, the issue of unequal access to district resources, including parents' names and email addresses, deserves attention because other school districts either already have a referendum scheduled or are likely to have one in the future. Duneland School Corp. has a referendum on the ballot this spring for a tax increase that would save teachers' jobs rather than support a construction project.
The closed-door session for area educators on how to run a successful referendum, following Lake Central's victory last fall, adds further impetus for a public airing of Lake Central's mistakes as well as its successful strategy.
Under state law, a public entity like a school district can't deny access to a record it already has generated and shared with another party.
This should be a lesson for area school districts and other units of local government working on their own referendums. Keep the playing field fair to avoid bitter feelings following the vote.
Read more: http://www.nwitimes.com/news/opinion/editorial/editorial-a-lesson-to-learn-on-school-referendums/article_cf70914c-5e47-5cc4-a0c3-4b3feaba556e.html#ixzz1rGxkhjy8
