To the editor:

One of the best outcomes of our work on the RTR Facilities Task Force has been getting to know both the varied members of that group as well as the broader school district community. There is a palpable sense of unity. We are a district of small business owners, tradesmen, professionals in healthcare, business, and information technology. We are agricultural professionals ranging from sales to finance to crop and livestock production. We are parents, grandparents, bus drivers, administrators, teachers, and more. We are RTR.

After long nights of meetings and hours of deliberation, the Task Force overwhelmingly voted in favor of recommending to the RTR School Board a new preK-12 school facility in Tyler. Of all the varied options, locations, and scenarios analyzed by this diverse group of RTR community members, a single facility was deemed the most efficient and wisest use of public taxpayer dollars.

That decision by the task force was not taken lightly. We realized it was a lot to ask of our landowners and general citizenry to take on the burden of a multi-million-dollar school bond.

But we are not alone in facing that decision. A century ago our ancestors faced the same choice. They erected the buildings we are now asking to be replaced. Those buildings served our communities for decades. And they served us well. But now, it’s time for us to make the same decision as those who came before us. It is time to invest in ourselves, our children, and our school district for the next century. Vote Yes…it’s time for action.

Tanya Thomsen, Tyler

Jodi Schreurs, Russell

Darrell Erb, Tyler

Alan Matzner, Ruthton