The Star - News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area

There has been much debate on whether you should support the upcoming school levy continuance. While many facts have been presented, some have been unclearly represented, and our children are the ones who will suffer. Please remember the facts and consider the whole picture as you make your decision. 

First of all, please remember the fact that the levy that is up for vote is not a new levy. It is to continue the levy that pays for the maintenance and education operations that already exist. Voting no takes away money from the normal day-to-day operations of the school. 

Nothing in life is free. Free education costs a large amount of money which is funded by levies and the government; essentially by all taxpayers. Taxpayers paid for you to go to school, and as taxpayers, you pay for children long after you to go to school. When you don’t have a child in the current school district, it can seem very easy to say no and not be affected by the vote except potentially seeing a little extra money on your end. (If you are a renter, you won’t see this money unless your landlord decides to lower your rent. How many times has that ever happened to you?) Please remember the fact that students who are currently going to school will one day soon become the workers in the stores, the managers, the restaurant owners, the electricians, the builders, the doctors, the lawyers, the plumbers, the citizens in our community that will either be a support and help or a drain on our community. We all have a stake in seeing our schools succeed. 

As mentioned in previous opinion pieces, the funding of schools has changed lately. One change is due to House Bill 1660. It changed the school’s ability to charge for athletic events. While the bill has some benefits to students (benefits that GCDSD athletics were already providing to those who needed it), it caused a large deficit in the income that funds our athletics. Add onto that all of the Covid regulations such as not being able to sell concessions, and you have an even larger deficit that spreads past athletics and into other groups, activities, and all four high school classes that fundraise four years to take a coveted senior trip. The government did not subsidize for these losses. They left it up to school districts to assume the responsibility. The government matches a good portion of our current levy. Please remember the fact that if the levy does not pass, we will lose $900,000 from our community base and another $700,000 from the state for a total of $1,600,000 (1.6 million dollars). Please remember the fact that a school cannot continue to operate as it is, strive for excellence with its students, and provide more on over a million dollar loss. While some rearranging is possible, a loss that large is not sustained without the loss of workers; less custodians, less para pros, less teachers, less principals. That is what a no vote on the levy and over a million dollar loss does for our school and community. You cannot operate on less and expect the same or better results. 

Many opinions have been previously shared, and some contain quite valid concerns.  Please remember the fact that voting no on the levy does not change any one of those concerns. It simply harms our students, raises ratio numbers in the classrooms, puts jobs at jeopardy (not the jobs that the opinions want cut), and puts great people and great programs at risk of not being funded. Concerns with how the school operates or how money is allocated are valid concerns to be addressed through the proper channels. Writing opinion pieces in the paper or sharing opinions on Facebook is not going to cause change. Voting no only causes change in what we are able to provide to students. Communicating through the paper or Facebook is not the way to get the ear of the superintendent and elected board members that can explain decisions and/or change the way things are run. The way to make those concerns known to the people who can make the change is by going on the school district website, clicking the button that says “Request to Be Placed on the Board Agenda,” and getting in line for the public comment. You can respectfully share your concerns and ideas for solutions. Let them hear you. Let them respond. Then, hold them accountable to action. Come back the next month and ask for an update. Do that every month until changes are made or you have received the strong no answer with a viable explanation. I’ve done it. It works. I don’t always get my way, but I do get answers. I do get a conversation started, more so than I do through an opinion piece in the paper. 

Please remember the fact that we all want excellence for our students through our school district. I know it has been said in multiple ways that the school needs to do more. Well, the answer cannot simply be to do more. I watch Mrs. Darnold do more by working earlier than anyone I’ve ever known, stay late, and be available at any hour that someone needs something. I watch the Athletic Director work 10-15 hour days doing more for our athletic and transportation departments. I watch Mrs. Kennedy and Mrs. Lakin working nonstop doing more for our students. I watch countless teachers doing more when they are at school until 5 and 6 at night, when they get to school at 6 a.m., when they spend the better part of Saturday and/or Sunday working. I watch coaches doing more. I watch our deans of students doing more. I watch para pros running our SHARP Kids programs, delivering items to students, gathering things students need and DOING MORE. Please remember the fact that DOING MORE is NOT the answer. We need this levy to continue doing all that we are doing. Can things stand a closer eye and maybe some rearranging to ensure every dollar, every resource, and every person is used to its most excellent value? Absolutely. Click the button on the website to get on the public comment and share those concerns and solutions. In the meantime, PLEASE VOTE YES to keep our levy and to keep providing all that we can for our students. 

Thank you for remembering the facts.

Sincerely,

Nicole Rasmussen

Teacher, NHS advisor, 9th grade advisor, Hope Squad advisor, Assistant Cheer Coach, wife of the Athletic Director, and community member who is concerned for our students’ well being