Community Partnerships

By Larry Sweeney, Jr.

We need to reach out and engage all of Fremont so that our schools receive the most benefit from our community.

The Board needs to positively engage the City Council in a manner that will encourage a common desire to improve our schools. We are not mutually exclusive. As our schools improve, so does our city.

Many people in Fremont do not have children, do not have school aged children, or they have children in private schools. Their tax dollars support our schools. 

We need to reach out to these groups to ensure that they see the following:

• Value of schools which receive ongoing maintenance (increased property values).

• Have lower class sizes (better performance).

• School open areas are not sold to raise money (providing open space, children's playgrounds, a place for all to enjoy recreation, and a reflection of the value Fremont places on education).

The School Board should approach the local newspapers and offer to help create a regularly published "Ask the School Board" column. It would be an excellent forum to increase public awareness and gain the voter's trust. This would also provide another avenue for the public and schools to work together to find equitable solutions.

Individual Attendance Areas have benefited from positive working relationships with many of our local businesses. 

The Board needs to take the lead in encouraging more companies to realize the value, and the future gains, of supporting Fremont's schools.