Dear Editor:

Survey Access Issue: Fairness in Question

It has come to my attention that a survey was published on the EVCSD website at the end of August, seeking resident feedback on priorities for extracurricular facility updates. This comes in the wake of last year’s controversial referendum, which was hastily encouraged by Superintendent Fee who encouraged the board to approve its addition to the ballot. There was also no Public Hearing prior to adding the referendum as mandated by the Iowa State Codes. This process, lacking transparency, seemed designed to minimize public scrutiny and push through a Field House project with little input from the community.

Despite a partial apology from Superintendent Fee but no apology from the board, it appears that the current approach remains exclusionary. The survey, intended to gather input from all district residents, is only available online, with no accompanying outreach or notification. Based on last year’s debacle there was prior discussion about improving transparency and providing multiple access points for the survey, including the possibility of mailing postcards to every district household. However, as of this writing and as the survey period nears its end on September 29th, there has been no such mailing.

It is troubling that the district leadership seems to overlook the needs of residents without internet access or those who are not technologically savvy, many of whom are older citizens and significant contributors to district funding through real estate taxes. This oversight suggests that their opinions are significantly undervalued.

I urge the EV Board and Superintendent to address this issue by mailing the survey to all households in the district, as was initially suggested. They should also increase the deadline to the end of October providing ample time for returning the survey. Residents should contact the EV Board and Superintendent to express their concerns and demand that everyone be given a fair opportunity to contribute their input on extracurricular facilities.

Let’s ensure that all voices are heard and that the district genuinely values the input of every community member.

Dr. Richard Betts (Preston, IA)