Letter: Portage County Business Council members urged to vote “yes” on education referendum
Portage County Business Council Members,
The success of our business community depends on a strong local educational system—not only to build a capable workforce from within, but to attract and retain high-quality talent from outside the area. The Portage County Business Council Board of Directors encourages you to vote yes on both referendums.
On the November 6th ballot, the Stevens Point Area School District will pose two referendum questions. If passed, the funding will enable the district to make critical infrastructure improvements, improve academic services, stay current with technology demands, properly fund maintenance and remain competitive with neighboring school systems. PCBC encourages you to vote on both referendum.
As business leaders, we understand the correlation between education and talent supply. If our school systems falter, the result will be a devastating blow to the most vital component of our businesses – our workforce. In today’s educational climate, with factors such as open enrollment, school choice, and teacher retention, schools need to mirror some of the practices successful businesses use to remain competitive. The two referendum need to be considered separately and they will be found on the back of the ballot.
We encourage you to visit the district’s Forward Together information page, in which the needs and challenges precipitating this referendum are outlined in detail. You will also learn how these two referendum can help the district overcome these challenges, so it can continue providing a high-quality education to the students within our community and retain our quality teachers and administrators.
There are important action steps area businesses can take regarding this referendum:
1. Vote YES on November 6.
2. Provide opportunities for district representatives to offer informational presentations to your employees during work or non-work hours. These can be scheduled by contacting the superintendent’s office at 715-345-5444.
3. Allow school representatives to share printed information with your employees. Again, you may contact the superintendent’s office.
Let’s help move our schools Forward Together.
Todd Kuckkahn
Executive Director, Portage County Business Council