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22 | February 14, 2019 | The winnetka Current Winnetka winnetkacurrent.com
winnetkacurrent.com sound off the winnetka current | February 14, 2019 | 23 Social snapshot Top Web Stories From winnetkacurrent.com as of Feb. 11 From the Editor Be kind to others Feb. 17 (and every day) 1. Disorderly passenger, signal problems delay Winnetka morning trains 2. New Trier Jazz Fest celebrates music and culture 3. Faith Hope’s violin program grows to teach 60-plus students 4. Winnetka’s Stacked and Folded finds success, expands to Evanston 5. Glencoe’s Shanghai Garden serves up ‘real Chinese food fast’ Become a Current Plus member: winnetkacurrent.com/plus Megan Bernard megan@glencoeanchor.com You know those silly national day of “fill in the blank” that seem to keep popping up out of nowhere? While most of them seem like a fun day to celebrate something small, like National Pizza Day (Feb. 8) and National Drink Wine Day (Feb. 18), there is one national day coming up that I think you should take note of this month. That’s National Random Acts of Kindness Day. Celebrated on Sunday, Feb. 17, National Random Acts of Kindness Day has grown in popularity each year. According to RandomActsofKindness.org, the day is celebrated by individuals, groups and organizations, nationwide, to encourage acts of kindness. In Winnetka and Northfield, I can recall students at New Trier High School participating in the special day in the past by honoring teachers with signs and special treats on the way into school in the morning. Even if you can’t participate in an organized activity at school or work, you can still spread kindness in plenty of other ways. Here are some examples from the website. Kindness in the community: Wheel out your neighbors trash bin, write positive sticky notes, praise a local business online and leave a generous tip. At work: Send an encouraging email, find out something new about a coworker and write a handwritten letter. At school: Write down someone’s best qualities, share your study guide, donate used books to a library, befriend the new student and tutor a fellow student. You don’t have to make some grand gesture to take part in Random Acts of Kindness Day; it’s the small things that add up! Be kind out there, everyone. New Trier posted this photo Feb. 7 with the caption: “On Monday, New Trier Swimming & Diving, Wrestling, and Cancer Awareness Club hosted a St. Baldrick’s head-shaving event to support childhood cancer research. So far, the groups have raised $1,312!” Like The Winnetka Current: facebook.com/ winnetkacurrent “Loyola and Brother Rice Men’s B-ball teams join together to raise awareness for Breast Cancer and Metavivor. #dontignorestage4 @Rice_Pride @LAMensBBall “ @LAGoRamblers, Loyola Athletics, tweeted Feb. 5 Follow The Winnetka Current: @winnetkacurrent go figure 3 An intriguing number from this week’s edition The number of consecutive Jesuit Cups the Loyola boys basketball team has won over St. Ignatius. (Page 38) Letter to the Editor It’s OK to vote no on the $100-million school project Despite my strong support for scholastic excellence in Winnetka’s schools, I will be voting no on the $90 million bond referendum on the April ballot. Here are five reasons why: 1. Homeowners’ property taxes are at the breaking point. Having almost doubled in the last 10 years, the typical Winnetka property tax bill climbed another 25 percent to 50 percent on an after-tax basis as a result of the 2017 Tax Bill. Adding $1,300 more per $1 million of home value (this is the proper way to look at the referendum) will further erode home values in a community that has seen precipitous declines already. Roughly speaking the referendum will knock $25,000 of value off a $1 million home. 2. Enrollment is plummeting. The district’s demographer projects further enrollment declines through 2026 and there’s little evidence to suggest a sharp turnaround thereafter. 3. More referendums are coming. Without coordination among the five taxing bodies in Winnetka, taxpayers can’t prioritize which capital projects across Winnetka are the most important to them. So the ballot box is the only way to send the message that tax increases have gone too far. In addition to the referendum, the School Board just approved the maximum property tax hike allowable by law. 4. Fiscal responsibility means doing what’s needed, not everything that’s wanted. Investment to comply with safety and ADA rules, and to install air conditioning in the D36 schools is certainly justified. The administration estimates the cost to complete these projects of $40 million. The other $60 million of proposed spending may satisfy some educators’ notions of the “future classroom” but will crowd out spending on recruiting and retaining the best teachers. 5. We’ve seen this movie before. In 2010, voters overwhelmingly rejected a $174 million referendum to update the New Trier High School East campus. Four years later, the community approved a more sensible scope (50 percent less) and the high school got what it needed. The District 36 administration completed a planning exercise knowing they needed to persuade the community of the merits of a $100 million project. Personally, I’m unpersuaded. It’s OK to vote no and still be in favor of the schools. In fact, it’s the best way to ensure the long term fiscal viability of the school system. Marcus Wedner Winnetka resident The Winnetka Current Sound Off Policy Editorials and columns are the opinions of the author. Pieces from 22nd Century Media are the thoughts of the company as a whole. The Winnetka Current encourages readers to write letters to Sound Off. All letters must be signed, and names and hometowns will be published. We also ask that writers include their address and phone number for verification, not publication. Letters should be limited to 400 words. The Winnetka Current reserves the right to edit letters. Letters become property of The Winnetka Current. Letters that are published do not reflect the thoughts and views of The Winnetka Current. Letters can be mailed to: The Winnetka Current, 60 Revere Drive Ste. 888, Northbrook, IL 60062. Email to megan@winnetkacurrent.com.
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