Dear Editor,
I write this letter with great reluctance but feel it necessary to inform the public of the deceitfulness we have encountered. Six weeks ago, my husband, a well-respected retired CPA who has served our community for over 20 years, was preparing an editorial about the Silver Schools Special Election Bond Question. During his research, he discovered that an advertisement on the Silver Schools website grossly underrepresented the tax impact of this bond by two-thirds.

Concerned, my husband brought this to the attention of Silver Schools officials, who initially expressed shock and gratitude, calling it a "mistake." He was personally assured that the issue would be corrected and communicated to the public. Believing the matter resolved, my husband proceeded with his editorial, mentioning only that the District had understated the tax impact but promised to correct it. His editorial highlighted that the bond would result in a 23% property tax increase, which could adversely affect our community.

However, two days later, Silver Consolidated Schools posted a vague non-apology on Facebook, claiming that "errors were corrected" and that "initial visual representation caused confusion." Despite these claims, the original misleading brochure and other false advertisements remained on their Facebook page and continued to misinform the public.

Frustrated by the District's inaction, we felt it necessary to inform the public. The misinformation persisted even in a new full-page ad in the Daily Press on July 11th. On July 12th, a school board member falsely claimed that all errors had been corrected. Yet, the false advertisements were still up on Silver Consolidated Schools' Facebook page and the Grant County Information Facebook page. And a new false ad was posted on their Facebook page that very next day.

On July 15th, we attended a Silver Schools Town Hall, hoping to bring these issues to light. The Town Hall was advertised by the District as a place for the community to "get informed, ask questions, and share your thoughts." We found more false brochures at the entrance and were appalled by the way my husband was treated when he tried to speak. Despite politely waiting through an hour-long presentation, he was repeatedly interrupted and eventually forcibly removed at the Board President's request. I was also removed when I responded to a staff member's outburst towards my husband.

After posting a video of this incident, a School Board member downplayed our concerns, claiming we were treated like any other constituents and that the District had continued to ensure that misprints had been fixed. However, the misleading ads were still online, and the District continued to spread false information about the bond's tax impact among other things.

On July 19th, my husband discovered that the District had been and was still incorrectly advertising the order of the questions on the ballot, falsely stating that the bond would be question 2 when it is actually question 1. Even the District's web page dedicated to the Special Election contained misinformation about the question order. After this was pointed out, the false claims and misinformation persisted. The District admitted that they did know and gave Legal Notice to the paper as early as May 20th the correct order of the questions on the ballot. However, they failed to explain how or why their advertised messaging sometime thereafter was changed, stating the incorrect order, flipping the questions.

Despite our repeated efforts to bring these issues to the District's attention, they have failed to properly notify the public of their mistakes. The District's ads and presentations contained misinformation about the tax impact of this bond and misinformation about the order of the questions on the ballot for months leading up to this Special Election. As I write this, there are still ads up on the Silver Consolidated School's Facebook page and posted in the Grant County Information Facebook page with misinformation. There's no telling how many people have been misinformed and have no idea.

It is deeply troubling that the District has not only failed to correct their mistakes and notify the public but has also dismissed our concerns and specific School Board members have accused us of having an agenda. We have not smeared anyone's name or told the public how to vote; we have simply tried to provide the community with accurate information so they can make informed decisions.

The District's actions are unacceptable. It is wrong to gain support for a bond based on deception. Our community deserves better, and I hope this letter reaches as many people as possible so they can be aware of what has happened.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Sincerely,
Amy Mason

[Editor's Note: In an attempt to inform the Silver Schools District's voting public, the Beat has posted three separate articles. They can be found at : https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/more-confusion-on-the-school-bond-ballot;  https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/silver-schools-bond-would-increase-property-taxes-by-23-1-2-to-25; and the original article https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/two-questions-on-the-special-election-ballot-causing-confusion . Note that only voters in the Silver Schools District received mail-only ballots. They are due in the county clerk's office tomorrow Aug. 20, 2024 by 5 p.m.]