LEVY: State made it necessary

I don’t have children in the Post Falls School District, but I’ll still vote for the Supplemental Levy for the PFSD because everyone benefits from an educated community.

The levy will not raise property taxes. PFSD is only requesting that we continue the levy that we’ve already been paying. The Idaho Legislature made changes in 2006 that caused Idaho school districts to rely on levies to fund education. The state of Idaho spends less on education than almost any other state. If you want to know why your property taxes are needed to fund education, ask your legislators.

The state of Idaho cut school district budgets by a total of 6% in the last two years. Most recently, the Idaho Legislature turned down $6 million federal dollars to fund early education and voted to end Powerball, which also helped fund education. If you want to know why the state is cutting funding to education when your property taxes are needed to fund education, ask your legislators.

We shouldn’t have to fund education through property taxes, but the state has left us no choice. We need to have a serious chat with our legislators about why they’re underfunding education. We need to remember who voted to defund public education next time their names appear on the ballot. But in the meantime, we need to ensure that our children have the best education we can provide, and in turn the best opportunities in life.

Please vote in favor of the Post Falls School District Supplemental Levy on May 18.

LAURA TENNESON

Post Falls