SCHOOL LEVY: Vote for learning

Each one of us should vote yes on the school levy, but not for the generally accepted reasons.

Not for the kids. Not because Coeur d’Alene has always gone above and beyond for schools. Not because it makes long-term financial sense.

And I get it. Maybe you hated school. Odds are we all had some crappy burned-out teacher at some point.

Maybe you’re tired of the national liberal agenda. But that isn’t the Coeur d’Alene School District. Here, parents are the most important part of the education puzzle, and what they say matters.

No, the biggest reason you should vote yes is simply because learning makes YOUR life better. When kids learn math, they grow up to be your tax adviser. When they learn science, they grow up to be wildlife biologists. When they practice public speaking, they learn how to express themselves like most decent political leaders.

This makes our lives so much better. None of us really wants to live in a world where no one has learned to read and write and think. Our Coeur d’Alene schools are amazing. Not perfect. Just amazing. And so are my colleagues and the kids in my classroom. I wish you could meet them all and see how awesome they are. But don’t vote for them; vote for you.

DOUG WOOD

Coeur d’Alene