Dear editor,

This past November, I felt honored to be a member of the Marshfield community because we voted to support the Marshfield School District by passing the referendum. Thank you to the entire Marshfield community for recognizing that we are the heart of this community.

By voting to support our public schools, we are supporting the opportunities that we give all kids in this community. From the youngest learners who attend our 4K program to our seniors in high school who are deeply engaged in Advanced Placement coursework, vocational programs, and other electives to give them a leg up, great things are happening in the Marshfield School District.

We educate all of our children and provide a supportive environment through intervention programs and opportunities like Sources of Strength, where we are addressing the mental health needs in our community to make sure that students are safe and healthy both physically and mentally.

While I am excited that we have a supportive community in Marshfield, I am disappointed in our state because we have yet to create a clear plan to ensure that our public schools are sufficiently funded, requiring that many public schools currently need to pass referenda in order to maintain funding for qualified staff, materials, and technology that students need to learn. We need a funding formula for public education that restores funding to our community-based public schools so that all children receive a quality education no matter their background.

Sincerely,

Kathleen Mahoney