District 41 plan is hardly frivolous

I am a Glen Ellyn Elementary District 41 resident with three elementary schoolchildren who attend District 41 schools. I will be voting "yes" on the April 4 referendum, and would be do so even if I didn't have children in the D41 schools.

Why? I could reiterate how I don't consider the $85 drop in this particular portion of the tax bill on an average home paying $8,000 annually in Glen Ellyn if the referendum passes versus the $199 drop if it fails to be a significant hardship.

I could argue that I want my own children to have a safe bus lane at Hadley, to enjoy brick and mortar classrooms versus portables that need to be evacuated in severely inclement weather and how I want my friends' children at Churchill to have a secure entrance like my children enjoy at Ben Franklin. I've seen some "no" voters claim they agree that D41 schoolchildren should have these safety measures, but they say the district can pay for these items with their current budgets. But if this is true, why is there a referendum on the ballot? How do they propose we pay for these necessities - not wants - without the referendum?

Voting for this referendum is the right thing to do. If you have children in schools or not, this improves our district, making it a more valuable place to live by improving property values. You get out what you put in.

And I don't see the cost of $2,840 over 20 years for the average Glen Ellyn homeowner, equating to $142 a year or $11.83 a month or $2.73 a week as frivolous when it comes to the safety of our children, and also the creation of a better learning environment at Hadley so academics can be the sole focus.

Emily Lobdell

Glen Ellyn