Yes or No

West Clark schools have a $95 million referendum up for vote in November, and as a Henryville graduate, former Henryville employee and current employee of Silver Creek with children at Silver Creek schools, I am voting "yes".

Here's why.

1. It's the right thing to do.
Every building in West Clark has had considerable improvements over the last 15 years except one...Silver Creek H.S.

2. School choice.
The Indiana legislature a few years back, passed school choice. Any student in Indiana can go to any public school they want if there is room. Because of this, there are some things that need to be done to maintain your own students, or their families will take them elsewhere (it's already happening at SC). Many millions will be spent on sports and theater at SC which again will allow SC to keep its own students and could bring in more transfers.

The Indiana assembly changed how schools get tax money. The money follows the students, so by bringing in transfers, that money benefits all West Clark schools.

3. WC is actually looking ahead 10-20 years.
West Clark is historically a conservative corporation which as a tax payer, I appreciate. But it seems we have always done today what we needed 5 years ago. This referendum actually looks into the future.

4. It will cost more in the long run.
Sure, a Plan B is pure speculation, but you can make many informed decisions on speculation. The referendum will raise everyone's taxes by .23, but a piece meal, it will end up costing us an increase of $1.00. That will be done on people not capped like me and my mother and father. Many people on fixed incomes will not like this.

Plan B will happen, in my opinion, because this current board was elected after a 500 signature paper was signed stopping an increase of over $60 million.

5. The students.
All West Clark students deserve better. Yes, SC has many transfers, but isn't that a good thing? But even without transfers, SC is over capacity.

6. Safety.
There are many issues that will be fixed when it comes to safety at each building in West Clark. From entrances to cafeteria issues to over crowding will be remedied.

7. These things need to be done yesterday, a "no" vote pushes the can further down the road.

8. By passing this referendum, within 10 years we can have much of it paid down and then refinance allowing for a possible referendum in the Henryville area if said growth occurs.

9. I believe in community schools.
I believe that by voting "no", we seriously would consider consolidation of all three schools or the shutting down of just one school. I believe that students within West Clark and outside should decide what type of school they want to attend. A larger school will be available under a "yes" vote, as will a medium sized school and a small school.

And I fully believe that there will be some transfers to Borden because of the smaller school feel and experience.

10. Voting "yes" has a known result. Property taxes will go up .24 on everyone. All three schools will remain open for the next 10-20 years giving each of us our community schools.

11. A "no" vote puts the all three schools in limbo. Will plan B be implemented? Property taxes go up more. Will Silver Creek withdraw from West Clark? Property taxes go up. Will consolidation occur? Property taxes go up.

Consolidation was tried before and was over turned by a school board that was elected ONE YEAR later. This current board will have THREE YEARS to do what they see fit.

There will be no way to over turn a school board ruling three years later because the damage will be done.

12. Finally, be careful what you believe. Did you start from a point of "no" and then allow the facts to follow your opinion? Were you "yes" and then allowed the facts to follow your opinion?

I was a "yes" from the get go, but I listened and my cousin-in-law helped me realize that "yes" (if we want three separate schools) is the best option.

He started as a "no" but after reviewing the data, changed his mind to a "yes". That impressed me.

Does that mean I started from a "yes" and then found the data that supported me?

Maybe.

But I want you, if you read this, to understand a few things about my decision and yours.

I want you to vote your conscience.

I don't think you're an idiot if you vote "no".

I don't think you're immoral if you vote "no".

I don't think you're a bad person if you vote "no".

I just ask you to be informed and not Facebook informed, talk to someone from both sides of the issue...face to face.

And realize that either vote has ramifications and dependent on how you vote vs. how you feel, it could very well have serious, serious ramifications.

I'm from Henryville (I love that place and call it home), I attend church in Borden (I love that place and enjoy my time there) and I live Sellersburg and work at Silver Creek High School (I feel welcomed and accepted here) so I appreciate the love and affection that each community has for its local school.

This isn't about emails, trust of the board, etc., it's about the fact that a vote is going to be taken on a referendum and the result of that vote could very well keep three schools open for the foreseeable future, or close one, two, or all three.

That's the decision I have to make, and I vote "yes" because I believe that will keep all three schools open.

Good luck and I wish us all well as we get to the vote and the days and months that follow that vote.

To Give or Not to Give....?

That awkward time during service when the idea of giving money is brought up...

You know, that part of the service where the church asks for our money and it sorta seems like they are guilting us into giving money to them.

In my opinion, televangelists have not helped this because of their seemingly constant asking for our money, but anyway.

Remember that God has told us to help, to give a portion of what He has blessed us with back to help further his work. But my own personal experience with giving has gone in three seasons.

  1.    I will give, but not that much, just enough to look like I’m doing something, but really, I’m not.

  2.    I will give obediently because I have been commanded to love the least of these.   

  3.    I will give out of appreciation, not because I have to, but my gosh, the Lord has given me so much, this is the least I can do.

2 Corinthians 9:6-7 “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Don’t give if you will not do so cheerfully. If you do not truly feel and appreciate all that God has done for you, do not give back a portion of his blessing upon you.

You might be shocked to read that, but I believe that. Thankfully, during my stubborn giving time my wife was more advanced in her faith than I was. But our loving God wants a true relationship with us, he wants genuine affection and genuine giving to further his work here on this planet.

Luke 11:28 “He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

Jesus commands us to love God and love people. To do that in this world, money is a necessity. It isn’t the most important necessity, but it is really close to it.

You cannot go, give, or help often without spending some form of money.

So you hear/read that Jesus has told us to be a Good Samaritan, then we must obey and help the church and other Christian organizations by giving our funds to help more than just our little inner circle.

Mark 12:41-44 “Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

The Lord gifted me with life before I knew Him.

He gifted me with Godly people that reached out to me before I knew Him.

He gifted me with my wife who led me to Him.

He gifted me my children, my job, my talents, my friends, my family, my house, my furniture, my ability to enjoy life, to have my heart broken for what breaks his, for an ability to communicate, for breath, for my heart beat, for my good times and for my bad times.

He gifted me everything; how could I not willingly and lovingly give back a portion of my finances to show even an inkling of appreciation?

Sensory Overload

Can bad events or potential bad events and the coverage of these events cause sensory overload?

And not just any type of sensory overload, but a burned out type of overload.

A burned out type of overload where you lose empathy and compassion because you are inundated with images and video over and over and over.

But not where you actually lose true empathy and compassion, but become frustrated because you know you should do something, you want to do something, but it is so overwhelming, you freeze and do nothing.

You do nothing because you don't know what to do.

You don't know what to do because you are used to taking of problems that are reasonably solved because you can control them somewhat.

These last few weeks, you can't control.

You can't control the weather.

You can't control the forest fires.

You can't control North Korea.

You can't control the suffering of the peoples involved in these events.

You can pray, but you can't control the situation through just prayer.

You can't control anything, it seems.

But more importantly, you can't control the indifference that your fellow man seems to have.

No happy or motivating ending...just an awareness of sensory overload, and the awakening by so many the last few weeks.

The world has been messed up before this.