Public education is facing strong headwinds. Locally, in the ConVal school district, these headwinds come in the form of the steadily increasing costs of doing business combined with shifting demographics and declining enrollment.

Over the past few years, district-wide conversations attempting to address these compounding issues have become challenging in their own right. Personally, what I have struggled with the most is that the predominant narrative of these conversations has been one of grievance.

The ballot initiative that would have likely resulted in closing elementary schools in several smaller towns was, at least in part, a response to the perception that the lower per-pupil spending in larger elementary schools was unfair when compared to the higher per-pupil spending at smaller schools.

This year, ballot initiatives that could result in the withdrawal of Dublin and Francestown from the district are motivated, at least in part, by the perception that the higher per-pupil costs borne by towns with large amounts of taxable property are unfair.

One point that has received less attention during this time is that individual taxpayers in towns with small amounts of taxable property endure the highest property tax rates in the district (adjusted for equalized value).

So, which is it? Do larger towns subsidize the small-town elementary schools, do property rich towns act as “donor towns” that subsidize the rest of the district or do individual taxpayers in towns with less property bear the costs of other towns’ taxpayers? The reality is, it’s probably all of the above.

But such is the nature of partnership. It would be easy for every person or group in any community to find something to grieve; but what we do for our communities is only one measure of partnership. What is currently missing from our conversations is what we receive.

As part of a cooperative school district, every town and every person is a part owner of our schools. We all have a vote. We all have a voice. As part of ConVal, we all benefit from economies of scale. We share administrative costs, facilities, and academic resources. We share teachers and specialists.

We can offer broad extracurricular opportunities. Our students are teammates in sports and in clubs. Our town elementary schools act as cornerstones of town identity. In our middle and high schools, we can offer a curriculum that is far broader and deeper than what any one town could offer on its own.

Perhaps most of all, we give our children the opportunity to come together as a community where they can develop lasting friendships and partnerships that don’t end at town borders.

I hope that we as a community can dedicate more time to consider the ways in which we benefit from being a part of ConVal, instead of placing so much emphasis on our grievances. In this spirit, when I vote next Tuesday, I will vote to keep ConVal strong because of the many things that we all receive.

Jesse Marcum was a member of the member of the Dublin Education Advisory Committee, stepping down before it submitted a report to the district's Withdrawal Feasibility Study Committee. His opinions are his own.