TURNER CITIZENS Fellow board member John Pelock and I are personally reaching out to the citizens in the Beloit Turner School District and are hoping that you will make an informed decision regarding the facilities referendum that is on the November 6 ballot. To the Citizens of the School District of Beloit Turner, With John Turner, I make a personal and public appeal to our fellow citizens, as your representatives on the Beloit Turner School Board, about the referendum on the My wife and I have 5 grown children, all of whom graduated from Turner High School. I have enjoyed living in this district for 34 years. In 1970, I was fortunate to be hired as an educator at the high school. I taught mathematics for 38 years and coached cross-country and track for 42 years. It has been an honor to be elected to the board of education three times and to currently serve as the president mber ballot. I will not repeat his description of the referendums value. I voted to place it on the ballot. As a citizen, I do not shrink from controversy, and I must address t the debate going on in our community Being a Representati As an elected school board member I am obligated to act in the best interests of all citizens of our district. I took an oath to uphold the Wisconsin Constitution, which requires providing our young people with the most uniform education possible and practicable. We must keep pace with our times at the peril of shortchanging our stu dents. Any vote on such a question, yours or mine, requires two things: enough intelli gence to reach a sound rational decision based on the evidence presented, and e wisdom and awareness to ensure the decision is just and fair to all concerned, in students, staff, and taxpayers. The April referendum:(failed by only 3 votes: Yes 920, No - 923) Grades 2-5 elementary school on district owned property ¼mile north o the hi h/middle school with a two-station gym. Cost S24.2 million. Classroom additions to enhance omr STEM programs. Cost: $2.4 million The November referendum:(Spending less on the elementary school and more on our STEAM programs Secure entries at each campus so visitors are funneled into the school office + new high school gym floor and bleachers (55 years old) Enlarge physical edu- cation fitness center. The board feels that this facilities referendum will help Turner retainBeine a Citizen cluding more district students. Below is a break down of the projected cost of each facility upgradCitizenship is not a one way street. I refuse to be a taxpayer only, I am a citizen. New elementary school building for grades 2-5. One station gym along with a redesigned cafeteria/multi-purpose area. Our campuses will be located with walking distance for a lot of our district residents. Cost: $22 million. Note: 2.2 million less than the previous benefits, have a wider duty and responsibility to attend to and care for common interests we hold beyond our own. Certainly one of those important interests its education. I remember vividly sacrifices made by many adults, financial and much more, when I was coming up in the world. They h d me, and we must help as well. Powers school will now be 4k first grade which will allow the district to offer all-day k. Note: The Turner district had nineteen 4k students open enroll out of the district this year because we do not have space at Powers. We currently have 134 total students open Recognizing Reality. This request to improve our schools did not arise out of thin air or out of some admin istrative or School Board whim. We were presented with evidence by our parents, stu dents, teaching staff, support staff, administration, and a citizen's advisory group of the Renovate existing classrooms and add 7 new classrooms for our STEAM program. Science-Technology-Engineering-Art-Mathematics) Moving Art in with the rest of STEM classrooms. Cost: $3,900,000 and overall education of our students. We must make these improvements. Secure entrances that will funnel visitors through the office in each building. Cost: $200,000 Our School District is in good shape financially. Our bonded indebtedness is low be cause we retired much of our debt ahead of time. Currently, interest rates and building Renovate the current HS/MS art rooms to enlarge our fitness/cardio and storage space. HScosts are attractive; we can afford to make this move. If we do not do it now, it must bleachers and gym floors must be replaced. (Bleachers and varsity court are 55 years old)be done in the near future. Along with all the positive changes happening in Greater Cost: $385,000 Total Cost: $26.685 million ($115,000 less than the previous amounts) Bray Architects estimates that the price tag will rise SI.4 million by next year ifthis To quote Ben Franklin: "Dont put off until tomorrow what you can do today Beloit, our improvements will make North and West Beloit Township a more attractive The board realizes it is asking our citizens to increase the school portion of their taxes by $99 per $100,000 of their assessed property value. We have all seen the "HOLD ON TO YOUR WALLETS" negative advertising. John Pelock and I hope that you will OPEN YOUR WALLETS" and help give our children the resources they need to suc- cessfully transition into technical trades or college. The Facts of the Matter I started teaching and coaching at Beloit Turner in 1972, a dream career in a great community. I thank you for the honor, privilege and opportunity to continue to serve. Having raised my three children here with my late wife, Gay Lynn, I have come to know many of you well. Living and working here continues to be a great adventure. I believe the basic driver of human advancement and social betterment is to honestly engage in the struggle to see things as they are and to act on that truth. Though we are of diverse political persuasions and points of view, people of goodwill, can reason together, and when given the facts of the matter, come to agreement on objective reality Our students and staff need a leg up in achieving their dreams and doing their work Give them the tools, and they will get the job done. John R. Turner John D. Pelock