Dear Bowling Green Community Members,
We are writing on behalf of a large group of parents who send or have sent our children to the private schools in Bowling Green: the Montessori School of Bowling Green and St. Aloysius Catholic School. We would like to voice our strong support for the school levy that is on the ballot for May 6, 2025. There are a myriad of reasons why this levy is important to all community members, regardless of which school our children attend.
First and foremost, many of our students transition over to public school for middle school or high school. At St. Aloysius, for example, between 53-80% of students graduating in 8th grade continue on to Bowling Green High School. Should the levy fail, the cuts that will be enacted to balance the budget will directly impact those students. In addition, busing for students to private schools would also be affected, just like their friends in public school, those that are bused to school will have a much longer ride, up to as long as 1.5 hours each way. In addition, only those students who live 2 miles or more from their school will be eligible for busing.
Unbeknownst to many community members, our public city schools are legally required to allow our private school students to participate in public school sports and some other extracurricular activities. Since the local private schools are small, these communities of students depend on the public schools to offer a wider variety of options to our students. Private school students participate in girls and boys’ basketball, football, track, cross-country, soccer and more. A failure to pass the school levy on May 6 eliminates these opportunities for all students – public and private alike.
Most importantly, these cuts affect the whole community. No one wants taxes to increase, but not passing the levy is a short-sighted Band-Aid for that problem. Families will leave our little community. No one wants to send their child to a school that doesn’t have arts, drama, music, clubs and sports. Good schools are tied to higher property values. If people leave the community, the share that you pay in taxes will increase because fewer people will share that burden. If the new homes that are being built are not sold, again, that would result in a greater tax burden for individuals in the community.
Bowling Green State University owns the bragging rights to being located in one of the best university towns, and one of the safest. That public university for the public good also has a vested interest in this levy passing. Many local students attend BGSU. According to US News and World Report, extracurriculars often play a decisive role in college admissions. Passing this levy means our local students, public and private, will still have the option to participate in extracurricular activities that could give them that decisive push to be accepted by the college of their choice or perhaps land that scholarship to make their college dream a reality.
Perhaps you don’t have any kids and don’t care, but that too is short-sighted. Involved students are higher achievers academically, have higher self-esteem and have overall better mental health. What else do extracurricular activities do? They keep kids off the streets. They give those kids who are lost and can’t find their way a community. I was hands down one of the shyest kids in my class, but marching band changed me. I found my people there, and my voice. And you know what? I landed myself a full academic scholarship to college because of the essay I wrote about my experiences in marching band.
As members of the Bowling Green community, and parents of local students, we urge you to read through the materials provided by Bowling Green City Schools and to vote in favor of the school levy on May 6. Vote for all the children in the community, public and private school students alike. Vote for the future of your community by investing in your community and making sure we remain one of America’s best towns. Extracurricular activities matter. They are anything but extra. They are essential to building character and leadership qualities. They are essential to building a community. Your vote is a vote for the future of Bowling Green, for the strength of our community, and most importantly for the children.
Cynthia Ducar, author with the support of
Benjamin Motisher
Jason & Holly Zera
Ryan & Heidi Dulaney
Monica Jatho
Nate & Heidi Henschen
Shelby Rosebrock
Craig Coorson
Melanie & Jason Dunn
Jessica Brunsman
Brock & Jackie Dishop
Matthew & Heather Hempfling
Andrew & Katherine Bennett
Jay & Rachel Simler
Carissa & Dan Wott
Brady & Alexia Coffman
Mary Jon Ludy
David Proulx
Ashley & Ryan Bridges
