We are voting YES on the Coupeville School District Maintenance and Operations levy, Feb. 5.

As property owning, retired school teachers, with a combined 76 years of teaching experience, we are pleased with the plans the school district has for the use of the levy money.

Plans for the levy call for continuing to support school programs outside of the regular school day such as athletics, music and academic groups. Students who participate in these activities are much more likely to be really enthusiastic about school and are much less likely to get into trouble.

In our decision to vote YES, we remember the statement, “If you think education is expensive, compare it to the cost of ignorance.”

Dick and Jude Barker live in Coupeville.