My association with the Newton Schools began many years ago when my father, Leland Cook, was hired by Superintendent of Schools B.C. Berg as the band director at Newton High School. Some years later, my mother, Janet Cook, was also hired by the esteemed Mr. Berg as an elementary teacher.
Both of my parents taught many years in the district. My first personal association with the Newton Schools was when I moved from Monroe with my parents to enroll as a third grade student at Woodrow Wilson School. Eventually I became a graduate of Newton High School.
After college, I returned to Newton, married my high school sweetheart, Jim Bennett, and became a teacher, and a parent to our children, Susan and Ed Bennett, also graduates of Newton High school. I served on the Newton Board of Education for a number of years, and still occasionally work in the schools as a piano accompanist.
The reason I mention this long and varied association with the schools is to be able to state unequivocally that the people with whom I have worked have done their very best to promote and maintain the quality of this school district. Teachers and administrators have worked unceasingly to develop and maintain high quality classroom experiences. Vision for the future has been strong and positive, innovation has been important and the community has shown strong support.
Community support is needed once again, this time for the construction of a new middle school. A myriad of reasons for passage of this bond issue have been shared, many of them focused on student safety and needed technology advancements. Recent information has indicated that passage of this bond issue could result in a possible $8 per year increase in a property tax bill, running the gamut to as much as a $16 increase, depending on property values. These numbers translate into a 66-cent monthly increase and a $1.33 monthly increase. When we look at those figures in light of what we know about the needs of the district, the enormous value of education and our proud history of community support, the decision seems fairly easy. We can afford to build a new middle school and we must build it. Please vote “yes” with me in support of our schools and our community, their distinguished past and proud future.
Virginia Cook Bennett
Newton