Spokane's Levy, My Job

The school district I teach in faces a Levy Replacement in approximately 27 days. It is a mail-in ballot, due on Valentine's Day (how romantic), and if it passes, it will continue to fund 25% of our district's budget; an estimated $73 million bucks.

{Breathe}

We've been told all sorts of things in BEFORE HOURS meetings (we cannot talk about the levy during the school day; "we" being myself and fellow school employees). We've signed up to wave signs, write post cards, post signs in our yards, wear buttons on our fancy teacher-key lanyards (for some reason we CAN do this during the school day), post stickers/magnets on our cars, etc. Our superintendent (holla Dr. Stowell) visited each and every building in the district to stress the importance of this levy. This is quite the feat considering we are the second largest school district in the state of Washington at 30,000 students strong (that's bigger than WSU, people, but whatev's).

{Trust}

I work with an incredible group of people. People who show up everyday with a passion in their hearts to teach some of the toughest kiddos in the state. I'm not exaggerating. My students have some really difficult home-life situations, and I know how much this levy money helps them. If we lost this chunk of change, things would forever be different for these kids' school days. Things like transportation, school sports, and fine arts programs would pretty much go bye-bye. If you think about it - these three things are the lifeblood of these kids' school experience. Getting to school without worry, and then getting to enjoy singing or playing an instrument or shooting hoops are what these kids live for. It's what gets them out of bed in the morning. Hey, maybe along the way we educate them, too.

{Believe}

Things like a levy have the power to divide or unite. Build up or tear down. Strengthen or destroy. I'm obviously hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst. You see, last year two neighboring (and much wealthier) school districts attempted to pass bonds, but failed. For all of you non-education-ese speakers out there, bonds build buildings, levies fund people and programs. This was devastating for those two districts. They were already busting at the seams and had high hopes of expanding, updating, and improving the four walls where kids learn and adults teach 180 days out of the year. My heart was broken for the staff and students of these two districts. I've heard horrendous rumors that up to 800 staff could potentially be cut if our levy fails, and I can't seem to push the past out of my head.

{Persevere}

For the next 27 days, I will be wearing a button, posting obnoxious things on my facebook, forcing my brother (who lives in the district) to display a yard sign, taping signs to my car windows, writing postcards, waving signs on busy street corners, and door-belling our school's neighbors. I will take a deep breath, trust the process, believe in my community, and persevere in my career no matter what happens.

Go to Yes for Spokane Schools for more information!