Letters for Voice

Vote yes on upcoming levy

I am a huge advocate for education and believe each child should be offered the same opportunities for growth as another. I want to see all our children succeed in their education. The levy on May 20 for which I am asking your support is not about Lakes Middle School. It is about commitment. This community made a promise to the students in the southern part of our district to provide an updated middle school and that promise has not been honored.

As I sat in the recent levy forum and many Long Range Planning Committee meetings I heard plenty of blame for the promise not having been kept. Blame does not help us move forward. We have heard the history and it is good to be aware of it, as it is from history that we best learn our mistakes and can identify ways to correct them.

It is time to focus on the future and keep the promise made by the citizens of Coeur d’Alene to our children in 2002.

That future is the students at Borah, Bryan, Sorensen and Winton who spend the first five years of their education in substandard facilities earning a great education from the teachers and staff who are there because they are committed to the success of a child. The future includes the students of Fernan who have a great facility but have also been given a promise of a new middle school.

The future is fulfilling the commitment to provide our students with current technology that can stretch their learning to new horizons.

The future is committing to the young families living in our district that we believe small neighborhood schools provide the best atmosphere for learning for their children.

The future is each child who benefits so greatly from the pride he has in his school community and who learns the importance of making a commitment and keeping it.

I encourage you to learn all you can about the upcoming levy and vote YES to fulfill the promise on May 20.

Mary Luann Larson

Coeur d’Alene