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Editorial: Failing to pass school levies would send a negative message

As readers have witnessed in the past few weeks, there are plenty of strong feelings about the two local school district levies appearing on the Feb. 9 ballot.

The levies don’t propose to tack on new taxes, they would simply continue the levies that are already in place for another four years. Failure to pass the levy in either district would cause serious and painful cuts to be made.

In Puyallup, voters are being asked to replace the current levy amount of $3.43 per $1,000 of assessed property value with a $3.40 rate. From 2011 through 2014, that’s expected to garner the district $183 million — roughly 21 percent of its total operating budget.

In Sumner, the projected rates are lower, ranging from $2.93 per $1,000 during the first year up to $3.32 during the final year. Sumner’s levy also comprises about one-fifth of the district’s operating budget.

It’s money that public schools need because the state only funds basic education, the definitions of which are constantly changing.

Using these rates, the owner of a $300,000 home in Bonney Lake or Sumner would pay less than $1,000 per year in property taxes to fund teacher and support staff salaries, basic classroom materials, sports, music, bus transportation and more. That money, however, is spread over 13 schools.

In Puyallup, Edgewood or South Hill, the rate goes up slightly but the money reaches students and teachers in 32 schools.

As evidenced in recent letters to The Herald, a large slice of East Pierce County residents believe this is a small price to pay for investing in a child’s future. These are the students who will grow up to make and enforce our laws, run our hospitals and banks and stay in the classroom to teach our great-grandchildren.

If we don’t invest in their education today, what example are we setting when a levy issue comes before them in 10 or 20 years?

Additionally, the quality of a community’s schools is a huge draw for future employers. What business wants to move into a school districts were the educational system is sub-par?

Many residents argue that school administrators should look to their own pocketbooks when setting a budget. That’s a valid argument.

But the only way to change that behavior is through the school board. The public should vote out members who don’t have strong fiscal priorities or, better yet, run for office to change the policies themselves.

Realistically, though, cutting administrators’ salaries wouldn’t be enough. In Puyallup, a whole litany of programs could be eliminated — sports, clubs, music, transportation and advanced courses — and it would only be the tip of the iceberg. Pretty soon, students would only be getting the bare minimum.

This wouldn’t make them competitive for higher education, desirable for employment or well-rounded citizens.

Voting down a levy isn’t going to get the message across. It simply punishes students.