Congratulations again to the speech programs at Mount Vernon and Lisbon on a successful large group speech season. Mount Vernon’s programs success has included nine All-state nominations this season, tying a school record. The small but mighty Lisbon program had four groups who earned Division I ratings at the state contest. Both programs are setting students up for a world where they are tackling one of the world’s greatest fear inducing categories – speaking in public.

We also have to say that it was great to sit through a discussion between Mount Vernon School Board and mayor Tom Wieseler about the next endeavor the city is investigating – childcare solutions in Mount Vernon. Like others on the school board, we know the solution isn’t as simple as building a center in the long run, but investigating if that is a viable option to move forward and beginning discussions if things like full day 4-year-old preschool become an option at the legislature this year, having daycares for lower aged children or even additional classrooms for those preschool aged children will be beneficial to the community in coming years. Like the mayor said, it’s one part of a multi pronged issue for the community to adequately address, and at least continuing to have these discussions and reaffirmations that everyone is on the correct path is appreciated.

As to growing programs, Lisbon’s Booster Club supporting the purchase of weight room equipment with the school district is huge. Like superintendent Autumn Pino noted, that’s equipment that gets utilized by more than 80 percent of the high school students, not just student athletes. It’s a benefit to the entire school to have equipment that will better be used in Lisbon and not damaging the new weight room floor, giving longevity to both equipment and floors to come.

Rehashing some bullet points of a November editorial about the Physical Plant and Equipment Levy vote coming up in a few weeks for Lisbon –

• It’s not a new tax for the Lisbon School Systems. It’s extending the use of a levy rate that the district started more than a decade ago and actively uses. No tax rates are increasing.

• Continuing PPEL allows schools to have funding streams that are used for the maintenance of buildings and not tapping into the general fund, as those dollars remain tighter due to the state’s funding being anemic in the past several years.

• Projects tackled via PPEL include bus purchases and repairs to items like boilers and other unexpected expenses that pop up.