Levy is needed to keep education system viable

Believe it or not, after my last letter to the editor, I received another  telephone call. This lady read my letters as not supporting the levy. I guess people see what they want to see.

The LPOSD has trimmed back. In fact, the trimming is more than that; it is a cutback. More cuts are likely and, without the levy, a certainty.

What would the total impact be on our community if the levy fails? I don’t know; I doubt if anyone knows. When families are moving to new locations, whether it be for work or play, one of the major considerations is the quality of the educational program. If a community does not have a good, viable education system the incentive to move into that community is lost.

In fact, it can lead to the departure of people already in the community.

Where would we be without many of our salons, grocery outlets, accountants, physicians,  gas stations, car dealers, restaurants, book stores, banks, churches, etc?  What services do we want to do without? Who knows? If too many families leave we may even lose the folks who put out our local newspaper.

We need to keep our education system in LPOSD viable. This means supporting it to the fullest extent. We don’t have rich benefactors like many districts, so the levy is the only way we have of filling the gap in the state funding formula.

LARRY SMITH

Sandpoint