The reports about the potential impact on our community of local residents attempting to secede from the Bowling Green School District are nothing short of alarming.
If I am following the news correctly, several residents who last year successfully campaigned against building a new public elementary school under the argument that it would increase our taxes are now petitioning to secede from the district, which would consequently either cause Bowling Green public schools to reduce its educational funding by several million dollars, or increase everyone’s taxes, including those of the petitioners.
Furthermore, the argument used last year by the petitioners that building a new school would raise their taxes has also been debunked because the districts they are planning to move into have higher tax rates. In other words, those proposing this secession are doing so with the understanding that it will either increase all of our taxes or take funding away from educating the children in the Bowling Green public schools.
Perhaps even more alarmingly, the reports have also indicated that people are free to send their children to neighboring school districts without going through the trouble of seceding. Therefore, as Richard Strow indicated in a previous report, it is reasonable to conclude that all of this is being done out of “spite.”
It appears the petitioners’ tactics for seceding have also been deceptive. First of all, if I am following the news correctly on this, they neglected to inform all of the individuals and families in the areas affected by this secession about their plans. As a result, in the middle of a pandemic and economic recession, children may be forced to attend a new school in the fall and adults may see an increase in their local taxes.
Second, according to Strow, who originally signed the petition for secession but has since turned against it, the organizers spread misinformation while getting the necessary signatures to hold a vote on it.
Third, Strow also indicated the actual reason behind the secession is animosity among the petitioners toward the Bowling Green School District. As a result, it appears that personal grudges may subsequently result in the lives of children being uprooted and taxes going up for people.
I hope the information included above can be proven untrue because it seems illogical for such behavior to occur. The people orchestrating this secession plan should both release more information about their logic for doing it and explain the facts to everyone who will be affected.
This is not the time to play a secretive game of partisan politics in our already painfully divided country. The principled thing to do is at least come out and explain your rationale for proposing to secede and tell everyone the consequences.
Jordan Wilfong
Bowling Green
