I’ve been waiting. For the past several weeks, I have been searching for facts about the upcoming excess levy referendum vote. I’ve read newspapers, opened the letters sent by Luverne Public Schools, listened to the radio and searched the District’s Website. I’m not finding much about a decision that will affect property owners like me for the next 10 years. I’ve read that the levy is needed to offset the rising costs of transportation, health insurance and heat/cooling. Our test scores are above state averages and this referendum is in ADDITION to current excess levy. Some news accounts suggest budget cuts will occur if the levy is not approved and no programs that have been recently eliminated will be reinstated. This information is a great start but is far from letting voters make an informed decision. Each and every one of us is facing the same rising costs energy and health insurance costs. We all have to work within our budgets. Student tests scores generally measure aptitude in reading, writing and mathematics. Is achieving good scores a matter of how large a school budget is or how motivated a District’s staff is in demanding the best efforts from its students? If the excess levy referendum is important for the success of our school district, more facts and figures need to be presented to the public to make them motivated in making a definite decision. What has tests scores been like after a levy vote has not passed? What "out of the box" ideas — more long-range solutions — have been generated because a decision needed to be made that couldn’t be solved just by adding more money? Is more money THE only answer or just the easiest? There has been no attempt at setting up public meetings, written materials lack relevant data and the District’s more important information source "its Website" contains no referendum information whatsoever. My education through Luverne Public Schools has been instrumental in making me an independent thinker/problem solver. My work experience in public school communications has shown me that people need real facts to make decisions. Does basic education suffer due to budget cuts or does a District rise to the challenge of delivering the best basic education within a budget? The Luverne Public School Board has left too many unanswered questions about an important vote. Maybe they might have to wait, too. Mavis Fodness Hardwick