To the editor,

Hello fellow citizens. I hope all of you have had an opportunity to attend or are planning to attend an informational meeting concerning the referendum for the Plum City school district. It appears that MANY school districts in Wisconsin are going to referendum to maintain their schools. Getting factual information from these meetings is critical in making an informed decision.

The American way has been one of paying it forward. I didn't pay for the church I attend, the schools, parks, roads, libraries, or other amenities that contribute to the public good. Someone before me thought that providing these things would benefit future generations. Many of these people were recent immigrants to this country from all over the globe. Their culture and languages were different, but most of them sensed they were being part of something that was bigger than any individual. They were willing to build and maintain public schools that brought everyone together and formed the cornerstone of every community. 

Now we are being asked to pay it forward again. No one likes to pay taxes or hear that taxes are going to increase, but as one English philosopher once said, "Taxes are the price you pay for a civilized society."

Several years ago, when the Plum City Elementary was being rebuilt, I asked my mother, who was in her seventies, widowed, and living alone in a three-bedroom home on a fixed income in Plum City, how she was going to vote on the referendum. Her reply was, "Someone else paid to educate me." I pondered that statement for a long time. Mom was in a situation like many voters today, but she was willing to pay it forward for the next generations.

Kevin Coulson

Plum City