CDA SCHOOL LEVY: Vote yes

Dear fellow baby boomers,

Think back to your school days in the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. Remember the great K-12 public school educations we were given? That was made possible by our parents, grandparents and other adults in our communities through the taxes they paid. This in turn allowed us to get the tools we needed to live our adult lives.

However, we students weren’t the only ones who benefited when the adults financially supported our public schools. The whole community benefited as well. The schools produced a pool of educated young people to fill jobs in our towns and also gave us a solid foundation for training and education beyond high school. As a result, many of us gave back to our communities working as business owners, trades people, teachers, nurses, fire fighters, police, etc.

Furthermore, a community with a well-funded public school system was attractive to industries looking to relocate. The jobs those newly relocated companies provided to area adults added to the prosperity of our communities. In short, both students and taxpayers benefited when public schools’ levies passed.

Whether we are parents, grandparents or neighbors of school-age children, it is our turn now to be the responsible adults and fund our public schools. Yes, an additional $6.49 a month in taxes might be a financial hardship for some of us but we would be naïve to think that those who funded our education didn’t have to sacrifice to do so back in the day.

Fellow Baby Boomers, it is our turn now. Vote “Yes” on Coeur d’Alene’s public school levy May 16 for our kids AND for our community.

KARA KRAL

Coeur d’Alene