CSD school levies – An excellent investment
In January of 2012, the Washington State Supreme Court ruled that the state was not meeting its constitutional obligation to fully fund education. Notably, the court issued the same ruling in 1978, without any meaningful progress in the 35 years since.
The 2012 ruling sets up a “challenging” situation for our new governor and legislature — increasing education funding in the midst of weak revenue and intense pressure on spending.
The bottom line is that until this gap in schools funding is addressed at the state level, it will remain up to each individual school district to secure the balance of funds needed to keep schools whole.
In the Camas School District, where voters have routinely passed school levy measures for decades, local levy funds make up 20 percent of the annual budget. These funds make possible smaller class sizes, and they fund books and materials, technology for classrooms and teaching, and virtually all extra-curricular academic and athletic programs (including our community “Friday Night Lights” experience every fall at Doc Harris Stadium.)
I agree to chair this campaign every 3 to 4 years because after 18 years of living in Camas with my wife and three daughters (all of whom have come through Camas schools), I’ve experienced firsthand how well the district manages and stretches our tax dollars, and the excellent, comprehensive education that our children are provided. And I believe it’s our collective responsibility to continue the legacy of great schools that we’ve inherited from generations of Camas community members and leaders that have gone before us.