Now is the time to support the school levy

To the Editor,

As a longtime citizen of Henning and as a former teacher/school board member and current substitute in the Henning Public School, I would like to take this time to address the upcoming Levy vote.  

  At first I was against this but the more time I’ve spent up there as a sub and also in attending events I have changed my mind.  Many of the things that absolutely need to be done structurally, ultimately the school can do without a vote and our taxes will be impacted by that, so we are in a better spot to do those along with some other upgrades all at the same time as we will get helped out a bit with the Ag2School Tax Credit, something that won’t happen if repairs are done without the levy passing.  As many of us Sr. Citizen’s contemplate home value and potentially selling, I also believe a better school building will help out with those home values and if we don’t make these upgrades our home values will be negatively affected.

  Below I will outline some of those reasons for my change in mind.

• The heating system is really bad.  You can be in one room in the winter and need to open the windows and another room right next to it the teacher and students all need to wear a jacket with both rooms set for the same heat.

• There are a variety of rooms that have water leaks from the roof.

• As a supporter of the music programs, the sound system certainly needs to be upgraded so the kids’ performances that they’ve worked hard on can be enjoyed by the public.

• The key system for many of the rooms needs to be replaced as it fails often times.

• The fire alarm has gone off a few times simply from popcorn popping at events.

• Many of the Elementary and High School rooms need upgrading as they are old and needs/requirements have changed.

• The extra gym is needed as I have seen many times when recess is inside in the winter or other activities are being held there isn’t enough room for phy-ed, sports practices, music rehearsals, etc…  

In closing please don’t just believe me, take the time to go up and check it out for yourself.  Invest in our students’ future and our community’s future and please vote Yes-Yes!!

Richard O. Johnson,

Henning

Support the school levy for the future of 

students

To the Editor,

As you may know there is an opportunity for Henning School District residents to invest in the future of our school with our vote. I did not grow up in Henning, but we are raising our three boys in this community and our hope is for them to have a school that meets their needs and sets them up for success throughout their school years. We would like to share some of our reasons why we will be voting Yes, Yes on May 9.  

  Hi! First, let me introduce myself. My name is Erika Schwartz. I mentioned that I did not grow up here, but I have lived in the area now for almost 15 years. When I first moved here, I was shocked (in a very good way) by the amount of community support and “togetherness” I saw. My husband always seems to know someone no matter where we go, but for me it was a brand new place with brand new faces. When it came time for our oldest son to start school, we discussed the options of where to enroll him. There were many reasons that helped us ultimately decide to choose Henning. One of the biggest reasons for me was how welcomed I felt by the community. If the community was that strong, the school had to be!  

  Reflecting on some of those times, I feel even more encouraged in our decision to vote Yes, Yes! I am confident that the investment that is being considered is MORE than worth it.  

  We have considered the financial impact that this will have on our family. Full disclosure, we were pretty quickly on board with the choice to vote Yes, Yes, but we did have some worries about how much it would impact our finances. Once we looked into the facts on what it would cost, we felt better about it. As we looked through the options being considered it is both a vast improvement from the current set up and a very sensible plan. The changes are focused on needs, safety, and realistic improvements for extracurricular opportunities.  

  As parents, we try to encourage our boys to participate in a variety of activities. They enjoy participating in both athletic and musical opportunities. Our families enjoy having the chance to come watch and support our boys in all these activities. One event that has become a tradition for us is the Veteran’s Day program. It is so encouraging to see the community show up for such a beautiful program to celebrate the amazing veterans in our community. Some of the improvements planned will help to facilitate impactful events like this to continue and to allow for safe and accessible parking and entry to the building for all.  

  Keeping the community alive and strong is something that both Adam and I feel strongly about. We feel that our decision to vote Yes, Yes will help to ensure that our community stays strong. We ask you to please consider voting Yes, Yes on or before May 9 to support the future of our Henning School.   

  Thank you for your consideration!

Erika Schwartz

Vining

Legislators vote against school lunch program

To the Editor,

A few days ago, Governor Walz and the DFL led Minnesota Legislature, including a small group of Republican Senators, sent a message loud and clear when they passed the Universal School Meals bill: children and families are a priority in our state! 

With the Universal School Meals law, K-12 students will have access to breakfast and lunch at no cost to them. This law recognizes that the current means-tested approach to qualify for free- and-reduced meals, isn’t meeting the intended needs, and doesn’t account for the multiple scenarios and circumstances of families who do not qualify but struggle to pay out-of-pocket for them. Passage of the Universal School Meals law actually means money back in the pockets of families, easing financial stress. 

Pediatricians, educators, school board members, students and hunger advocates spoke out in favor of this bill in the weeks leading up to the votes, expressing the numerous benefits of universal access to breakfast and lunch, including: improved classroom performance; reduced stress, anxiety and depression for children and adolescents; reduced stigma; improved mental and physical health; and reduced administrative burdens. To put it simply, the law recognizes that until we are meeting the most basic nutrition needs of students, other educational investments will fall short; if students are hungry they are not learning.

With so many benefits to this bill it is hard to comprehend why the three legislators representing Senate District 9, Representative Tom Murphy, R-Underwood and Representative Jeff Backer, R-Browns Valley and Senator Jordan Rasmusson, R-Fergus Falls voted against it. We are used to the uber-partisan Backer voting against bills that have DFL support even when they ultimately benefit Senate District 9. But we are just getting to know Murphy and Rasmusson. Rasmussen could have joined other Republican Senators in favor of this bill because, as they said with their votes, it was the right thing to do. He didn’t. If this is the kind of partisan approach, we can expect from Rasmusson, Murphy and Backer then the needs of many children and families in Senate District 9 will go unrepresented! If we can’t count on our legislators to prioritize hungry children and families living on the financial edge, of which there are many in their districts, what can we count on them for? 

Proud of Minnesota, 

Christeen Borsheim,

Wheaton

Prayer at 

Henning City Council meeting 

To the Editor,

At the March council meeting I proposed that each meeting begin with a prayer and hoped the council could to see a role for some divine guidance in decisions being made.

My personal belief is that prayer could serve to foster healing and unity in what has been a couple of contentious years.

I provided a 1983 ruling of the US Supreme Court allowing prayer in governmental bodies, and a 2014 ruling that brought additional clarity. This has led to many cities, states, and federal government meetings since to offer a prayer typically by, but not limited to clergy. The council is having the city attorney provide an opinion.  

My hope is that the council will approve a motion to extend an invitation to all our local clergy to be present to offer a prayer at the beginning of monthly meetings. 

Citizens can make their wishes known to council members by calling them; write letters of support to be dropped off at the city office; or better yet attend the April meeting. 

Reggie Thiel,

Henning