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the winnetka current | February 14, 2019 | 23
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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’
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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!”
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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
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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
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