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If you are not a follower of social media, you may not be aware that there is a huge battle being waged in our community regarding the upcoming school levy, and the stakes are high.

I believe education is the most powerful investment we can make toward our students’ and our community’s future. Education is proven to reduce delinquency, crime and incarceration rates, improve earnings and reduce poverty, improve health and wellness, and grow the economy.

There is a particularly vociferous group of opponents to the levy who are engaging in a campaign of misinformation to try to defeat the levy, so much so that they appear to have lost credibility with local media outlets. They started their misinformation campaign with the facilities levy. This replacement operations levy is different.

When the facilities levy did not pass, our school buildings were still standing, and our students could continue with their education as it had been. If the replacement levy fails, students preparing for their futures may not have the classes they need to complete a Professional-Technical certification, for example, or to meet the requirements for admission to a selective college. Outlying schools may ultimately be shuttered, class sizes will likely balloon, and the learning environment will suffer.

If you value our local school system, you must not be complacent, and I humbly ask you to vote yes on March 14 to continue to operate and maintain one of the best school districts in the state.

TODD RILEY

Sandpoint