EDITORIAL: VOTE "YES" ON ISSUE 4

by the Staff of VOXSTA: The Voice of SuccessTech Academy

 

 

     On November 4, the citizens of Cleveland will have a chance to make a difference by voting for Issue 4, which will prolong a current tax that helps CMSD fund school buildings and other improvements.

     The staff of VOXSTA is recommending that our readers vote "YES" on Issue 4 because we know that we need the money to build more up-to-date schools to help our students learn in better environments.

     "Many of us came from schools that our parents went to, so they were old and decrepit," says VOXSTA News Editor McKayla Edmonds says. "My mom went to Nathan Hale and when I went there it was raggedy and old. Now it's brand new and I wish it was like that when I was there. It hurts a little to see the new Nathan Hale and know that I lost out on the chance to go to a better school, but I'm glad that now other kids have that chance."

      When told about the ballot issue, sophomore Chivon Gant perked up, offering, "When I went to East Clark, it had paint coming off the walls and it didn't feel good to be in a school that was broken down. A lot of us didnt feel valued because of what we saw around us."
     Responding to Mr. Gant, VOXSTA Editor-in-Chief Devonte Owens added, "Coming from Iowa Maple, one of the oldest buildings in CMSD, and knowing that it may be rebuilt with this tax makes me feel good in a way I can't explain." We believe Mr. Owens speaks for many CMSD K-8 alumni who want their little brothers and sisters to have better opportunities than they did.

     Perhaps sophomore Dee Starling sums it up best: "Coming from a bad environment, sometimes schools help us build our confidence. If we go to a raggedy, broken-down place, it makes us feel like raggedy, broken-down people. That's why we need to vote YES on Issue 4. Every kid in Cleveland deserves a great place to learn."