Editor,

When it comes to the future of our community, one everlasting truth is “we are all in this together.”

Our decisions today about our school levy will determine who we are as a community. This levy opens doors for our kids. I know. I see it everyday.

As principal, I have had the pleasure of watching thousands of students at Oak Harbor High School discover their futures through the kinds of opportunities supported by this levy.

Our kids find the road toward success whether they are interested in pursuing college and professional careers, entering trade schools, volunteering for military service, or entering the workplace.

Our school levy helps make that happen.

It pays for Advanced Placement courses, supports our music programs and after-school activities, and makes it possible to provide tutoring to struggling students. It also keeps our computers up to date and replaces needed textbooks.

These kinds of opportunities are not provided by the state. They are the result of a community choice. And it takes tax dollars.

When our school board conducted a six-month analysis of school needs, sensitivity about the impact of taxes was a big part of every discussion. In the end, the board supported a levy that addressed our most vital needs, but covered only about half of the problems before them. They stuck to the must-haves, not the want-to-haves.

Our levy is about local control of what we want to offer the next generation through our schools. It’s not about property ownership or whether you currently have a child in school. We are all in this together.

I don’t drive in eastern Washington much, but when I do, it sure is nice to drive safe roads. That is our tax dollars at work.

We are citizens of the greatest country because we offer opportunity to all, not some.

Dwight Lundstrom
Principal, Oak Harbor High School