Vote ‘yes’ for North Thurston levy

Voters in the North Thurston Public Schools district will receive a ballot this week seeking passage of a 2-year, $48.9 million replacement maintenance and operations levy.

Without reservation, The Olympian’s editorial board encourages a “yes” vote.

Superintendent Jim Koval makes an excellent point when he asks voters whether the nearly 13,000 students in North Thurston deserve the same quality education as students in Olympia, Tumwater, Yelm and other South Sound school districts where levies have passed this year. The answer is obvious. But that only happens with levy passage May 20.

The levy makes up 16 percent of North Thurston’s $112 million annual budget.

Eliminate those levy dollars, and there is no possible way to deliver the same quality education as neighboring districts.

Yes, these are difficult financial times. And yes, there’s a lot of anger and frustration focused at government entities at all levels. And yes, school levies are one of the few opportunities where voters can express that frustration and anger. And yes, Koval and district administrators have heard that message.

“We know. We’ve listened. It’s about the taxes, ...” Koval said. “Unfortunately, we have kids caught in the middle.”

Excellent point.

A “no” vote, a protest vote, a vote to “send a message” doesn’t hurt President Bush or his war in Iraq. It doesn’t affect thinking in Congress or the state Legislature. It hurts kids — North Thurston kids in their classrooms. They will have fewer teachers, fewer programs and fewer opportunities to achieve academic excellence. A “no” vote on the North Thurston levy robs children of the quality education they deserve.

It’s true that North Thurston has had trouble passing its levies. A double levy failure in 1994 was followed by a single levy failure in 1999 and again in February. That sends a message, all right. It sends a message that voters don’t value public education in their district. What a horrible message — a message that carries forward in diminished property values and a less educated work force. After all, what new family moving to South Sound wants to settle down in a school district that offers a substandard education to its students?

The Feb. 19 levy failure rocked the North Thurston community to its core. It energized parents, retirees and students who are spending countless hours ringing doorbells, manning phone banks, waving signs and spreading the word.

It’s clear that district officials listened, too.

They abandoned the technology levy and trimmed the replacement levy from four years to two years for added accountability. They’ve been up front with voters on what programs will be cut.

They’ve helped voters understand what’s at stake, and they have entrusted that voters armed with enough information will do the right thing.

The decision now rests where it belongs in the hands of North Thurston voters. The right thing to do is to vote “yes” for the district’s $48.9 million replacement levy May 20.

Vote ‘yes’ for N. Thurston levy