Soon, most Eastern Washington school districts will ask voters to approve continuation of levies that help fund basic educational operations.

As business leaders and members of Greater Spokane Incorporated’s K-12 Roundtable, we urge you to vote yes.

When originally conceived, maintenance and operations (M&O) levies were intended to give school districts the opportunity to supplement state funding with local resources to enhance district programs and enrich the learning experience. Over time, with increasing state and federal mandates and reduced state funding per pupil, the dollars generated by local M&O levies have become essential to covering day-to-day operating expenses. In most of our districts in Eastern Washington, levies now represent approximately one-quarter of total district revenues.

These levies, if approved, will continue to support a wide variety of programs that provide K-12 students with broad educational opportunities, including art, drama, music and sports; Advanced Placement and other college-credit courses; all-day kindergarten; dropout prevention programs; counselors, nurses, librarians and maintenance staff; and essentials such as books, computers and transportation.

Consider this: Economists project that 40 percent of new jobs will require advanced training and education in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). That’s why businesses are increasing support of STEM initiatives in school districts. But it will take voter-approved levies to keep those programs going.

It’s easy to see the importance of the STEM initiative in Spokane, where we are investing capital resources today in the construction of a new medical school building on the Riverpoint campus. Tomorrow, we will need the properly trained workforce to staff and support this new enterprise and all the activities related to it – lab staff, technicians, support staff and more, in addition to medical professionals.

The pipeline for providing that highly skilled workforce starts with our K-12 districts.

As employers, we need a talented and educated workforce, properly equipped with skills to help local firms compete in an increasingly challenging economic climate. We want our local school systems to support, challenge and inspire our young people to pursue meaningful lives and work, giving them the foundation for success. We need strong K-12 systems in order to attract new businesses and their employees.

We are blessed in Eastern Washington to have strong, well-functioning districts with committed students, parents, teachers and administrators. They are producing results of which we should be proud, including graduation rates that exceed state and national benchmarks – significantly, in many cases.

Our districts are solvent and school boards and administrations have wisely balanced their educational programs with the pressures of leaner funding. Our professional teaching staffs have continued to do more with less to accommodate fiscal pressures. We have had no financial disasters, no strikes, and no protests from students or parents. Everyone is working together to do the best we can for our kids with the resources that are available.

Please join the board and member employers of Greater Spokane Incorporated in ensuring we continue to have strong schools, adequately funded to provide the basics. Support your district with your vote on the current M&O levy and an ongoing investment of your tax dollars. Become involved and contribute to the success of our educational programs. It is our privilege to do so; it is our opportunity to do so; and, it is our responsibility to do so.

Vote yes for schools! It is the right thing to do – good for kids, good for Spokane and good for our future together as an engaged, enlightened and progressive community.