We all wish state funding were enough to provide our students and faculty with the resources needed to provide a world-class education, but that is not the case. If left to operate with only state funding, our district would not be able to offer many of the opportunities that make our schools so desirable.
The Education Programs and Operations levy augments direct academic, student support and extra-curricular expenses. This means additional faculty and favorable student-teacher ratios, additional counselors for both mental health and academic guidance, Advanced Placement and Career Technical Education opportunities, as well as the arts and athletic extra-curricular activities where our students find additional enrichment.
The Replacement Technology levy funds instructional and operational hardware, software, staffing to support advanced learning technologies, and improved safety systems. We all hope our kids are never again relegated to at-home learning, but the 2018 Tech levy provided funding that supplied every student in the district with a new Chromebook. While many other districts struggled to adapt to pandemic learning, ASD was able to transition quickly.
Strong and fully funded schools benefit the entire community, and I hope you’ll join me in voting “Yes” on both Prop 1 and 2.
Kelli Lang
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash