Message from District 5 superintendent

Here’s a handy tip for the future — don’t send me e-mail on Friday and expect me to see it before the next week! I just don’t have time to read the messages on that day.

That said, here’s one more item relating to the District 5 referendum tomorrow. It’s an e-mail sent to me … on Friday… by district Supt. Scott Andersen:

Brad –

Below is a letter I would like you to consider publishing pertaining to D5’s referendum this Tuesday. 

    I have thought long and hard about what I should write this week as we lead up to our very important bond referendum vote on Tuesday, November 6.  I have wondered if there was one piece of information that would help theDist5_007
District Five community best decide the course we should take on that day. The impression that I have received is that our community members have been inundated with numbers, facts and a wide variety of opinions.
    Therefore, I am going to share a true story that happened to one of my co-workers.  It has a message that is appropriate for our District Five community at this important juncture in our history.
    He walked into a local restaurant recently with his wife and two children.  As soon as he entered, he heard music playing over the intercom system.  After noticing the music, he saw an elderly couple sitting at a table and eating their burgers and fries while “getting into” the music.  As he approached the counter to place his order, he noticed that the lady working the counter was helping the customers while also “getting into” the music.  As he looked past the lady at the counter, he saw that the gentleman cooking the hamburgers was doing so while moving with the music.  Then as he walked back to the table where his family was sitting, he saw a young father carrying drinks back to his table while singing the song that was playing on the intercom.  Finally, when my friend made it back to his family, he noticed that they too were tapping and moving to the song that was playing.
    After seeing all of this, he paused and thought for a moment.  In that restaurant, at that moment in time, everyone was “tapping their feet” to the same song at the same time.
    And now I ask, what would it be like if, as a community, we all “tapped our feet” for a few brief moments to the same “song” for our children?  Imagine what we could accomplish.
    Imagine what could happen if we agreed as a community that regardless of where a child goes to school in our district, they had a great facility that supports teaching and learning.  Imagine if every student, regardless of where they go to school, and if every teacher, regardless of where they work, had access to technology that truly supported teaching and learning.
    Imagine if we did not have to put our students and staff in unsafe, educationally inappropriate, and fiscally irresponsible classroom portables every day.
    Imagine if we reinvested in our existing facilities throughout Irmo, Dutch Fork and in Chapin so that our neighborhoods had terrific schools that helped keep property values high and businesses prosperous.
    Imagine if we addressed the needs of all of our students by providing them the much needed Career and Technology classes at every high school to ensure that they have a bright and productive future.
    Imagine the opportunity to make all of that happen November 6.