Resources used prudently?

Is the Sequim School District levy justifiable based on its achievements and accomplishments and prudent use of resources?

Sequim academic achievements are moderately rated within the state and noncompetitive nationally and internationally.

Math and science missed targets leave many graduates with empty diplomas. The percentage of school drop-outs and extended graduation times suggests taxpayers' resources are not being utilized appropriately.

The layers of nonteaching staff and lack of outsourcing are contentious cost issues. School transportation costs associated with infrastructure building was avoidable. How many interschool vehicles are justifiable? Levy tactics always threaten to reduce teaching staff to promote levy passage and never address the heaviness of the bureaucracy.

Restructuring the school district operational scale to meet declining enrolment is the superintendent's responsibility, excessive costs due to oversize and not the tax-

payers' obligations. Restructuring the educational instructional process to increase effectiveness and efficiency awaits accomplishment and accountability. Low bar graduation requirements directly affect expectations and educational outcomes.

Superintendent after superintendant are hired, receive salary increases and move on, but the school remains a status quo performer.

Don Albright,

Sequim


You first

I consider myself a successful product of the public school system. I owe my career and comfortable lifestyle to the dedicated professionals that educated and guided me through many years of schooling.

Because of this positive experience and how important I believer education is to the young people of this country, I have always voted yes on any and all school bond and school tax levy initiatives.

A good education is the most important legacy that we can leave to our younger generation.

However, in recent years I have become discouraged and disillusioned as I watch the downward trend in the quality of the public education system.

Many new and expensive programs have been tried, but the slide downward continues. Now, once again I am asked to support what I now feel is a failing system with my tax dollars. Sadly I am no longer willing to give my blanket support. I feel that it is now the public school system's turn to show continued improvement if they want my continued support.

You first, then my tax dollars will follow.

In addition, I feel that progress in the public school system can only be accomplished when teacher evaluations, administrator evaluations and student improvements are tied to salaries.

Don Berger

Sequim



A vision of trails



I do not believe the public is aware of the national treasure we have so near to us in Blyn.

This piece of property is a mile along Jimmy Come Lately Creek with Sequim Bay on one end and the national forest land on the other end.

Myself being a hiker, I'd love to be able to hike this property with the beautiful old-growth forest, the creek and the stumps from the earlier homesteaders and Indians.

My goal for this piece of property is that the public have access and that my parents, who have been gone for 37 years, would be happy with the outcome.

I would like the public, the Trails Coalition and the Volkswalk group to become as enthusiastic as I am about building trails and getting public access along Jimmy Come Lately Creek at Blyn.

I would not want or expect my brother to give up this valuable land for a public hiking trail unless we can get the county officials to rezone his property back to what it was a very short time ago. Our parents planned to build condos on the property and that could make a lot of sense in some areas.

The reason the public should develop this property as another hiking trail is because as we get older we don't want to drive so far to find beautiful places like this to hike.

I would be happy to walk this property with anyone interested in my vision and show you what I am talking about. My husband and I just walked the mile along the creek yesterday and it is just fantastic.

Right now it is not easy to walk the property and probably it will be even harder in the summer.

Mary Bland

Sequim



A positive path



When my husband and I relocated to Sequim from the Midwest over four years ago, one of the main factors we considered before moving and purchasing a home were the quality of Sequim's schools. We would not have moved to a community that does not support its schools. Other professionals considering moving to the area will feel the same. Failure to pass the levy not only hurts our students, it limits our community's ability to recruit and retain quality professionals in every field.

Our oldest daughter began kindergarten this year. I am impressed with the quality of the teachers and staff at her school and their ability to teach with already limited financial resources. Her classroom often uses white "wipe" boards to practice writing instead of paper, saving money and trees. Asking teachers to make do with less is not realistic. Parents are already doing what they can to help. Many volunteer in the classroom and donate snacks to be shared by all the students. Our community needs to continue to do its part in supporting our schools. The proposed levy simply maintains existing programs, ensuring that students continue to have textbooks, supplies, and access to technology - the basic elements of a quality education.

Plato wrote "The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future life." By voting yes and mailing your ballot in support of the levy, you will help start all of Sequim's youth on a positive path for the future. They need your support.

Asta Bonheyo

Sequim



Preparing

the future



As a recent graduate of Sequim High School, I am imploring graduates (soon to be graduates, too), parents and all Sequim community members to vote "yes" for the upcoming school levy.

Sequim schools has a legacy of preparing students for a bright future and equipping them to become contributing members of society. Graduates from Sequim High School have been accepted, are attending and have graduated from some of the most prestigious educational programs in the country. They are competitive and ready to handle all they might encounter. This is due in large part to the fantastic well-rounded education they received from Sequim schools.

Last June, during my speech to the graduating class of 2009, I challenged my classmates to not only go out and do "well" in the world but also to go out and do "good." I encourage us all to "pay it forward" and vote yes for Sequim schools. Together we can all make a difference.

Olivia Boots

University of Washington

Seattle



Taxes to benefit all



Growing up, my parents used to tell me, "Don't complain about paying Social Security taxes. Your grandparents are both receiving it and we're very thankful."

As a pastor and tire factory worker, SS benefits were all my grandfathers had in retirement.

Although my grandparents are gone, my wife and I continue to pay Social Security taxes 30 years later, and our parents are now receiving the benefits. We have also contributed to many other peoples' retirements and, as a community, we are all better off because of it.

A few years ago, the last of our children completed their public education in the Sequim schools. Now and into the future, we will be paying a school tax that indirectly benefits us. But we will continue to support the Sequim schools and the upcoming levy because it is good for our community.

Historically underfunded, the Sequim schools did an outstanding job of educating our children with superb teachers and fiscally dependable administrators.

The present levy is a responsible use of our tax money. Taxes that benefit everyone are what good government is all about. We hope that we can all be farsighted enough to see that money spent on a group of society that we are not directly a part of can have great impact on us indirectly.

That is what this levy will do for us. Seeing our present youth excel and successfully contribute to society is the indirect benefit we receive and why we wholeheartedly support the Sequim school levy on Feb. 9.

Dave and Monique Brasher

Sequim



Less service

is not OK

Today I was very happy to see our new recycling bins being delivered.

After reading the attached material from DM Disposal, I was shocked to find out that glass will no longer be picked up as part of our recycling service. I called DM Disposal to voice my extreme dissatisfaction. I told the customer service representative that I would definitely be complaining to the city council. She informed me that the city council was actually involved in making this decision!

Why would anyone on the city council or city staff think providing less service than we had before is an OK thing? Further, I'll bet that most of the city's household glass ends up the garbage due to the inconvenience. Then again I imagine many folks will not even read the material and put their glass in the new big bin.

Please contact the city council to express your disapproval.

Jeffrey Bruton

Sequim



Make the

process work



We will vote "Yes" in favor of the

Sequim School District's M&O replacement Levy. As California transplants, we have experienced firsthand the negative impact a centralized funding model can have on the quality of public education. When we lived in northern California, we experienced burgeoning class sizes and unceasing cuts in art and music programs at all levels and the elimination of the gifted and talented education (GATE) program in our elementary and middle schools.

It was difficult to understand how this could happen in our community, given its commitment to education. The problem had much to do with California's funding model, which allocates funds to each school district by formula.

We moved our family to Sequim from the Sacramento area in 2004 looking for a more wholesome environment in which to raise our daughters.

Now that we have been here a few years, we can say with confidence we are very pleased to live in Sequim. We had our doubts when the levy failed shortly after our move but were encouraged when the levy ultimately passed, proving the process can work. Our daughters have thrived here and have availed themselves of the many educational opportunities offered through the Sequim public schools. Our oldest will graduate from the University of Washington this spring with a degree in design and our youngest will study pre-medicine at Seattle Pacific University next fall.

Please make the process work for our kids this time around - vote "Yes!"

Buzz and Wendy Cutting

Sequim



Supersize my

recycling bin



First it was fast food, get an extra 1,000 calories of unhealthy food for only 99 cents. Result, we are an obese society. Next came SUVs, we need one that holds four times as much as we usually carry in it, just in case. Result, we are a society that wastes energy. Then came housing, we need to live in a house twice as big as our parents' home we grew up in, even if we can't afford it. Result, we are struggling through the worst economic crisis since the Depression due to a burst credit bubble.

So what is next? How about a giant 96-gallon recycling cart over twice as big as the two 20-gallon bins it replaces, but you can't put glass in it. We managed to rearrange a corner of the garage to squeeze it in. Since we can't put glass in it, which was about one-half of our recycling, it will take two months to fill.

That's good, since we have to back our car out of the garage whenever we take it in or out. That was unnecessary for our smaller old bins and regular trash can. In the meantime, we can fill up cardboard boxes with our bottles and drive them into town ourselves. Many people may have worse problems with the new carts. Some may not be able to handle such a large cart. Others with steep driveways and many who have no place to put the monster also will have problems.

We have been recycling everything feasible since the 1960s and also try to avoid things that are wasteful in the first place. A huge cart will not let us recycle more. We need an option for a smaller recycling container and a curbside glass recycling option. Otherwise this is a step backward for Sequim's waste management. When will we learn that bigger is not always better?

Doug and Gretha Davis

Sequim



Skeptics are convinced



As fiscal conservatives, the last thing we want to do is advocate more taxes, particularly now.

Our schools and levy funding system are far from perfect. However, defeating the upcoming Sequim school levy will have absolutely no effect on changing the system. That has to be done in Olympia and Washington, D.C. That's another battle for another day and one that we support.

Since we have a child in the Sequim School District, we were compelled to learn what the current levy request would provide; we were skeptical. We found that the school district is not asking for anything more than what it takes to provide basic services. Our Sequim School District is doing a commendable job, particularly fiscally. They have been very prudent. The reality is that they need the levy to provide the basic needs for our kids' education. Attend an upcoming informational forum or visit www.sequimschools.com to see for yourself. We are convinced.

A no vote does absolutely nothing to change the system. It will only deny our kids the basic services they need to equip themselves with the tools needed to thrive in a competitive world. These kids, our kids, only get one shot; our future depends on their education. Give them what they need and vote Yes. It's the right thing to do for our community and our kids.

Kevin and Jo Anne Estes

Sequim



Show me the luxuries

Having just returned from the post office after mailing my "yes" vote for the school tax levy commencing 2011, I wish to share with you how good I felt.

The list of my reasons for voting "yes" is as long as my arm. But the real joy in casting my vote today was the knowledge

that I negated the "no" vote of one Dave Munro.

After reading your wild tirade, filled with insults and ridicule not just of school administrators but of "responsible property taxpayers," I rushed to my window to see if my American flag was still flying.

The truth is these "renters," who you rant about not paying property tax, pay said tax every way, every day ... just like you do. A landlord collects rent. Included in that rent is the money he will use to pay his property tax. Typically when his taxes go up, so do the rents he charges and collects.

When you buy anything, including a loaf of bread, you are funding the baker's property tax needs. The retailer of the loaf of bread also generates the dollars to pay his property tax with the sale ... the same as the very people from who you would like to take away the right to vote for the education of children.

As clueless as you are, Mr. Munro, regarding taxation, you are equally uninformed when it comes to the Sequim School District, as evidenced by your wild claims.

I am a volunteer in the school district. As such, I am in and out of our schools regularly. I would invite you, Mr. Munro, to tour the school facilities with me. Perhaps you can show me "the unnecessary and frivolous luxuries" you refer to. I haven't been able to find them.

I invite you, Mr. Munro, to interface along with me the people you have ridiculed in print and address them with the specifics of your claims and demands. If you are not so moved, I would encourage you, as politely as I can, with words I learned on the sidewalks of New York as a boy living in a tenement, "Put up or shut up."

Albert Friess

Sequim



Changing for the better



I invite you to travel down Sequim Avenue and stop at the high school or hang a left on Hendrickson Road and peek into

the Sequim Middle School gym after the final bell. In these places, as well as the two elementary schools and the community school, we want to show you something important, evidence of lives changing for the better.

I have seen it and I continue to find it every day. In Sequim schools, I see, hear and feel the rush and intensity of lives shifting and minds developing.

I am coaching a group of 12 basketball players for the first time in my life. These players, all seventh-graders at SMS, are amazing young men and incredible students. In Tacoma, where I grew up, organized school sports were unheard of because of budget cuts. I teach at the high school to a diverse range of students, different by race, income, ability, curiosity and age, but united within a small community of peers and teachers who are working toward a common goal of achievement and progress.

I am young, single and from the big city. Some wonder how I can deal with the isolation, being so far from the malls and entertainment a city provides.

I tell them that you cannot kayak on concrete and money does not make the passion and courage shown by the Sequim students and staff. But it does support them, just as this community has supported and embraced me since my first day here.

Andrew Hosford

Sequim



They're counting on us



As a Coast Guard family, we have lived in communities across the country and are keenly aware each state funds its schools differently. In the state of Washington, levy dollars are an essential source of school funding. School levy dollars provide funding for books, teachers and necessary school maintenance.

As you consider your vote, please make sure you understand the levy facts. Sequim property owners are currently paying 57-percent less school levy tax than the average taxpayer in the state of Washington. The proposed levy will raise total property taxes just 2.5 percent in the first year of the levy, 4.9 percent in the second year and 7.5 percent in the third year. Even in the third year, the tax will be 21-percent less than the average taxpayer in this state.

The consequences of levy failure are significant. If the levy fails, our schools will face cuts up to $4.2 million. With a total budget of $24 million, these cuts would be devastating to our schools and our community. We know from experience that when military families face a transfer, quality schools are of utmost importance. Like many other Coast Guard families, we love this area, own a home here and plan to retire in Sequim one day.

We have been proud to serve this community. We will continue to do so by voting yes for the Sequim school levy. Nearly 3,000 Sequim students are counting on us.

Kristi Langenbacher

Helen Haller Elementary School

PTO president, Sequim



Wise management

will continue



Election day is fast approaching. The Sequim School District, like 280 other school districts across the state, relies on the maintenance and operations levy to provide a basic level of education services.

The district's board of directors has proposed a levy that would, if approved by voters, represent an increase in the district's M&O levy, and there is no denying the increase is significant. This requested increase must be viewed in the context of other property taxes paid by residents of the Sequim area.

In the city of Sequim and the surrounding unincorporated area, there are eight different local governments that collect

tax levies, several subject to voter approval.

According to the Clallam County Assessor, property tax paid on a parcel within the city of Sequim in 2010 will be $8.41 per $1,000 of assessed value and $8.14 per thousand in unincorporated Sequim. If the proposed school levy is approved, total property tax rates will increase in 2011 by 2.5 percent, 2012 by 4.9 percent and in 2013 by 7.5 percent (compared to 2010 taxes).

In the first two years, the levy would merely replace lost state and federal support to the district and the third year would allow the district a modest restoration of services eliminated in 2009.

As support from the state declines, local levies become more important to the fiscal well-being of a school district and the students it serves. The citizens of Sequim School District should rest assured that we will continue to be wise managers of public funds.

Brian Lewis,

Business manager,

Sequim School District



Maintaining exceptionalism



Improving our educational system is the key to maintaining the U.S. economy and U.S. "exceptionalism."

A prominent organization of international economists has presented our challenge clearly: By 2035 we will have surrendered our No. 1 economic leadership to China; at a later point in the century we will fall behind both India and Brazil.

When asked what is the No. 1 necessity for maintaining U.S. economic superiority and global leadership - leaders such as Bill Gates, Eric Schmidt (CEO, Google) and John Chambers (CEO, Cisco) strongly declare it's dramatic improvement in our educational system.

Without improvement in our primary and secondary schools, fewer will move to advanced education, which is necessary for greater per capita income, consumption and government tax receipts - all required to increase our standard of living and to maintain U.S. economic leadership.

In passing the upcoming school levy, we will all be doing our parts in contributing to both our individual well-being and our national superiority.

It starts with each of us. We can be a part of the solution ... or part of the problem.

Bob McCready

Sequim



Let them find

their gifts



As a parent of three children, I have seen the advantages of levy dollars at work.

My older children found success in programs that are directly affected by levy dollars. I still have one child in eighth grade and I hope she has all the advantages her older siblings had.

My son graduated from Sequim High School in 2004. He took honors English, honor choir, creative writing, speech and was cast in 11 plays. During his junior year of high school, he wrote his first screenplay. With the quality of education he received from Sequim, he graduated from Western Washington University in December 2009 with a B.A. in theater.

My eldest daughter graduated from Sequim in June. She is attending the University of Idaho; her intended major is P.E. with a minor in health. While at Sequim, she took honors English, advanced placement courses, select choir and photography. She managed the varsity football and wrestling teams for four years and was in "Beauty and the Beast."

During her years at SHS, she discovered her love of working with team sports. She changed her major from athletic training at the semester because she wants to teach kids to love sports and coach.

Without the support of the levy by the Sequim community, my older children would not have had the opportunity to discover their gifts or use them to their full potential. I worry without the passage of this levy my youngest will not have the opportunity to explore her gifts. Join with me in voting yes and let's give all the children a chance.

Christine Paulsen

Sequim



All that

glitters ...



I carry a can of brilliant gold floral spray paint with me. It's nontoxic and has no CFCs. I dutifully spray the leavings of dogs in the park. I wish to draw attention to the mess left by dog owners who don't take the time or have the courtesy to pick up after their pets.

I decorated six such bouquets this morning.

If this doesn't work, I will start taking pictures of the owners' vehicles and posting them to a public blog.

Thomas Pitre

Sequim



Sabotage recycling?



Just where exactly do the mental giants at Waste Connections and the Sequim City Council think 90 percent of the glass bottles are going to end up now that they've been exiled from the recycling pickup?

That's right - in the landfill. How many good citizens are going to be willing to load up their 8 mpg pickups with all those Bud bottles and Gallo jugs and haul them across town - or across the county - to glass collection sites? Especially when their neighbors can then plainly see how many of these bottles they really do consume?

Talk about stupid ... or then again, maybe not so stupid on the part of Waste Connections since this way they can sabotage the recycling program they undoubtedly hate anyway.

T. Riese,

Sequim



Gardiner to Hoquiam to Children's Hospital



We, The Blazing Saddles, are a small 4-H club in Hoquiam that would like to thank two of your local businesses for helping us with our community service this past year.

They are Gardiner Gardens Trucking, owned and operated by Jim Obtinario, and Gardiner Gardens Administrative Services LLC, owned and operated by Arlene Obtinario.

Their support has enabled us to sponsor a horse show to raise money to buy Wii's for Seattle Children's Hospital's cancer ward. It took us a year to plan and acquire donations/sponsorships to do such a large service. We will be completing the last leg of our community service in the coming weeks when we actually get to deliver the Wii's and games to Children's Hospital.

Again, thank you Jim and Arlene Obtinario for your support and great generosity on our behalf.

The Blazing Saddles

4-H Club

Hoquiam



See them prosper



I have been the only computer tech supporting a network approaching 1,000 computers in your Sequim schools for 11 years now.

All of our money for computers, networking and support comes from the passage of this levy. As if it were an option in today's world.

Every year we receive between 150-200 "free" computers from the state's "Computers for Kids" program. Hand-me-down machines from our prisons or transportation departments who get the tax dollars for new computers. Every year we have to surplus as many machines that are no longer usable.

This is a lot more work than if you could afford to buy new computers and only surplus every few years. Similar school districts close to our size and location have four to five times as many techs supporting their technology needs.

There is an increase in this levy over the next three years, a smart and timely decision, as this will begin to pull us up toward an "average" level of support.

I have put this district on my back, literally, and supported them over a long haul to become one of the best districts in our state, as proven by the quality of work done by our students. I am proud to see them prosper through the use of technology in every school and at every level. Their progress is part of my pay.

Please join me in sharing in the success of the young people in our community, vote yes and mail your ballot in today.

Richard Seiler

Sequim



All is not sunny



The efforts by the SunLand Golf & Country Club, a private club, independent of the SunLand Owners Association, representing the homeowners and property owners, has asked for a mandatory assessment against all homeowners to provide financial support to the golf course which apparently is experiencing financial problems although they have refused to provide copies of a financial statement other than a compilation from which, according to their own accountant's statement, material omissions have been made and as to which no reader should rely.

The SLOA board, a majority of which are members of the SLG&CC, are considering a formal request to put the issue to a homeowner vote once the board sets voting procedures.

A homeowner group called SunLand-Facts frequently has communicated with the SLOA board trying to persuade them not to accept the SLG&CC request and objecting strongly to providing any financial assistance to subsidize the social and recreational activities of less than 15 percent of the residents and some nonresidents of SunLand. Details of the SunLand-Facts objection may be found at their Web Site.

More details and a outside perspective are available at www.sequim-real-estate-blog.com/sequim-golf/is-the-

sequim-sunland-golf-course-going-bankrupt/.

Gil Simon

SunLand

Sequim



Continuing basic services

Investing in our children's education is crucial to the success of our future as a nation. As a parent with a child in the Sequim School District, I have been nothing but impressed with the quality of education that my child has received.

SAT scores by students in our district are 12 points higher in verbal skills and 25 points higher in math skills than the statewide average. This is quite an accomplishment considering that Washington state ranks second highest in SAT scores in the nation.

The levy provides for a continuation of basic services, things that must not be affected. It would be devastating to see our children's quality of education deteriorate when we can keep this from happening

Remember, this is a replacement levy, not one that is on top of what we are already paying. Over the next three years, the new levy rates would result in $3.97 per month to a maximum of $4.29 per month for a property valued at $250,000.

How many of you could give up a latte a month to make a difference in the future of our students and our community? Each of us is making sacrifices at our own levels but remember, kids are an investment in our future and money that we choose not to spend on them now results in a tenfold expenditure potentially in the future.

I urge you to vote yes for the levy. Please support our students and the educators that work so hard to provide a quality education for them.

FaLeana and Matt Wech

Sequim