A burrito bowl’s worth of difference

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Dear Editor:

There has been lots of talk about the school referendum over the past few months. With voting starting soon, I imagine that will only pick up.

I look at money within my home, my business, and on council through the same lens: what’s the return on investment? When the city invests in things like new intersections, trail networks, and public safety personnel, it really is an investment. Less time at an intersection or a quick ambulance to the hospital when you need it is a small part of what makes Noblesville a place people choose to move to, start a business in, and stay in.

Our schools are a big factor in that draw, too. But in Indiana, schools are slightly different; the law puts the level of investment directly in our hands.

Under the proposed referendum on this year’s ballot, I wanted to see what this would actually cost me and my family, so I ran my own numbers through the calculator on the district’s referendum page (noblesvilleschools.org/referendum). It won’t be the same for every household, but for mine, the increase for the entire year comes out to roughly what I’d spend on a burrito bowl.

When I look at ROI, that’s enough for me to call this one worth it. Most of all because doing nothing leads to cuts that will impact students in our community, namely losing one in every five teachers and limited options to help students succeed.

While it’s a process for the school system to move through, the referendum puts the burden of proof on the district. This is the Schools’ chance to make their case, and the community’s chance to hold them to it, the same way the market gives feedback to any of us running a business. For roughly what I’d spend eating out once, our community gets smaller class sizes, school safety staff, mental health counselors, career and technical programs, and the teachers who keep our kids’ classrooms staffed and strong.

For the price of a burrito bowl, I’m a yes.

Aaron Smith
Noblesville