Where did the money go?
Dear Editor:
In the Dec. 16, 2021, Monroe County Herald, a great paper, but that is another story.
The headline was “SASD considering $2.1 M referendum” to maintain the current level of operations.
Now, in the Dec. 20, 2021, Monroe County Herald, the Sparta School Board is looking at bids of up to $3.3 million to upgrade Memorial Field.
My concern is, if the school (district) doesn’t have enough money to keep the current level of operations going, how is it going to pay for the Memorial Field upgrade?
To me, this is like borrowing money for mortgage payments and then going shopping for a new car.
Also, last year most of the learning was done via computer from home. So, where is the money that was saved?
Or is this another case of sports being more important than education?
Clifford Peterson, Cashton
Legendary police officers inspire
Dear Editor:
My granddaughter wants to be a police officer when she grows up to help people. My first thought was oh hell no, that’s way too dangerous. In 2020, over 300 police officers were shot and 44 officers died in traffic fatalities while on duty. With each call response they make, they don’t know the danger or potential tragedy ahead. The rate of suicide for officers is higher than the general population. And now in recent years, officers need to be concerned with unintended exposure to drug residues like fentanyl.
But then I thought of the legendary police officers and current officers who care and make a difference. Monroe County had Detective Sullivan, who relentlessly investigated the Kale and Connie Kvistad murders until Shaffer was convicted. Monroe County had Detective Tester, who devoted time to pursuing drug cases and solving multiple armed robberies. Sparta had Capt. David Richards, who was thorough but always cared about people. I remember when my son’s car broke down on the way to school and Capt. Richards took the time to take my son to drop off his baby at day care and then gave him a ride to school. And Sparta still has a future legend in the making, Detective Jose Tovar. He works on so many drug cases in the city but also deals with the individual addicts and their family members with compassion and dignity.
Police officers make a difference in the community, and the great ones live on as examples for future generations. I know I will be a proud grandma if my granddaughter does decide to become an officer someday and would like to encourage each of you who read this to take the time to thank an officer for their efforts in a high stress, intense, sometimes thankless job.
Sandra McAnany, Holmen
