Three levies critical to Issaquah

Issaquah/Sammamish Reporter – 02/04/2014

I wanted to extend my support and encourage others to vote “yes” for the three Issaquah School District levies. As a parent of two children in the district, and as someone who volunteers and substitutes in the Issaquah School District, I want to make sure everyone knows how important it is to vote “yes” for this funding.

The first levy is a maintenance and operations levy. It provides 21 percent of the Issaquah School District operating budget (staff salaries, books, heat and light, fuel for buses, and building maintenance). Without this money the district will have to make dramatic cuts, such as to staff or extracurricular activities, which will affect our children. Therefore, it is critical to our schools to pass this levy if we want to continue to provide our children with a quality education.

The second levy is a school bus levy that will replace older buses with new, more efficient models. The resulting fuel savings and lower maintenance costs mean that more money can go into the classroom to provide quality education for our children.

The third levy is a capital levy that pays for the classroom technology needs and critical repairs of buildings throughout the district. Our schools depend on local levy money and community funding (ISF, PTSA, etc) for classroom technology needs.

Theresa Larsen, Sammamish