On November 3, voters in the Eads School District will have an important choice to make concerning Ballot Issue 4A. On the ballot, it will appear as a checkbox. In reality, I believe that decision represents much more than a single mark on a piece of paper.
It asks us to consider what kind of school and community we want to leave for the children growing up here.
I am a member of the committee working to pass Ballot Issue 4A. Others on this committee can speak from their experiences as business owners, agricultural producers, parents, graduates, and community members. My perspective comes primarily from education.
This is my 25th year as a teacher. Before coming to Eads, I taught in three neighboring school districts. Education has been part of my family for generations. My grandparents worked in education, both of my parents were teachers, and my dad was also a coach. Teaching is more than the career I chose. It has been woven into my life for as long as I can remember.
After enough years in education, you begin to recognize the communities whose schools are thriving and those that are struggling to hold on. You also come to understand that the strength of a rural school and the strength of its community are deeply connected.
My family does not live within the Eads School District. We live on a farm north of Eads, technically in another school district and quite literally out in the middle of nowhere. However, we chose Eads as the school our children would attend, and I chose it as the place where I would work and invest my time.
Eads became the center of our lives because of its school, hospital, grocery store, parts stores, and the other businesses and services rural families depend upon. Each of those pieces supports the others. Together, they help sustain this community and the families living throughout the surrounding area.
While I cannot speak with authority about every part of our local economy, I can speak from a deeply rooted history in education. A school is not simply another building in town. It is one of the foundations that helps a rural community survive. It is often a deciding factor when families choose where to live, where to work, and where to send their children.
Ballot Issue 4A is not about tearing everything down and demanding something brand new. It is about making thoughtful renovations, improving what we already have, and bringing our school together in a more unified way so it can continue serving students and the community for years to come.
In my classroom, one of the ideas I try to teach is “progress over perfection.” Growth does not require everything to be perfect. It requires us to recognize what needs to improve and then be willing to do the work necessary to make it better. I believe that same idea applies to our school.
As teachers, we ask students to work hard, persevere, solve problems, and keep going when something is difficult. As adults, we have opportunities to demonstrate those same qualities. We can ask careful questions, study the information, listen to one another, and decide what investment we believe will best prepare our school and community for the future.
As both a teacher and a mother, I find myself wondering what opportunities will remain available to our students in the years ahead. Will we be able to continue offering the academics, athletics, activities, and experiences that help students discover where they belong and what they are capable of achieving? Will families continue to choose our school? Will our children grow up knowing there is a future for them here?
A school bond cannot increase enrollment overnight or solve every challenge facing a small rural community. However, it can demonstrate that we are still willing to invest in this school and in the families we hope will continue choosing Eads.
This decision is bigger than one activity, one classroom, one teacher, or one family. It is about creating a school where students feel supported, where teachers can help them grow, and where families can see that this community is committed to its future.
I also recognize that my family lives outside the Eads School District, which means Ballot Issue 4A will not appear on my ballot. I do not take lightly the fact that I am asking others to consider an investment I cannot personally vote for.
However, agriculture is part of my background and my family’s future. Both my parents’ ranch and my in-laws’ land will be affected by this decision. That is land we hope our sons may one day have the opportunity to carry forward. I understand that a tax increase on agricultural property is not simply a number on paper. It affects real families, real operations, and decisions made around kitchen tables.
That is precisely why my support for 4A is not casual.
I respect that voters will have questions, especially when a proposal involves an increase in taxes. Those questions matter and deserve thoughtful answers. The Eads School District website contains detailed information about Ballot Issue 4A, including the proposed improvements, financial estimates, and answers to many of the questions community members have raised. The district has also held multiple community meetings to explain the proposal and give people the opportunity to ask questions.
My purpose in writing is not to repeat all of that information. It is to share why, after 25 years in education, I believe this investment matters.
Our students hear us tell them that they are important. We cheer for them from the stands, applaud them at programs, celebrate their achievements, and encourage them when they struggle. Ballot Issue 4A gives this community an opportunity to consider how we can support them not only with our words, but also through the future we help build around them.
When voters mark their ballots on November 3, I hope they will carefully consider both what this investment asks of the community today and what it could help preserve for the generations that follow.
I believe our school is worth improving. I believe our community is worth strengthening. Most of all, I believe our children are worth the investment.
That is why I support Ballot Issue 4A, and why I hope Eads voters will choose yes.
LaDawne Britten, Haswell
