Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Levy dollars key to district’s future


Jeff Neel, of Bellevue, is the president of the Blaine County Education Foundation.

By JEFF NEEL

My wife and I moved to the Wood River Valley in 1995 specifically to raise our family in this school district. We have two children in the public schools and we are impressed with the individualized support and nurturing our children receive. I believe we should celebrate the strength of our public school system and the value it brings to us and our students.

The operating costs (teachers, staff, curriculum, utilities, etc.) of our schools are funded through the school district's maintenance and operating budget, and not a facilities levy.

Yes, the school district needs to continue to improve its curriculum and challenge all of our students. My participation in the strategic planning process, along with over 100 other members of the community, helped inform me how difficult a task the school district has to balance the needs of all students and to coordinate the many moving parts effectively to achieve good results. Our public schools exemplify the concept of a world-class and effective public school system with opportunity and support for all students.

Our district has demonstrated educational leadership in our state on many levels and academic achievement by our students at all grade levels. This is due substantially to our community's support of its schools and the responsible leadership of our school district.

Safe and comfortable buildings, efficient mechanical systems and current technology capabilities are important to any curriculum, and support the learning environment for our students. Responsibly engineered facilities can improve the health of our students and reduce operating costs and therefore increase funds available for curriculum. Environmentally conscious facilities can also provide avenues for study and may qualify for federal, state or other funding assistance. I believe our students should attend schools they want to be in and our community deserves facilities that are attractive, functional and environmentally sensitive.

Passage of the levy will ensure that the operating budget of the school district is maximized to support teachers, curriculum and small class size. From my experience, I can assure you that the school district takes its custody of taxpayer funding very seriously.

It is the school district's responsibility to plan for the next 10 years and secure funding sources. We have four facilities that are over 30 years old and we do need improvements at all of the facilities. As a community, we should understand the district's proposals and the underlying rationale, including curriculum goals, existing school capacities, student demographics and enrollment assumptions. It is our responsibility to provide the financial support and flexibility to the school system so that improvements we want in both curriculum and facilities are provided for our students.

I urge all Wood River Valley residents to be informed about the facts by attending the public forums on the school district's strategic plan, budget and funding mechanisms, by attending school board meetings and by contacting their school board representative or the school district office for information. A wealth of information is available on the district's Web site at www.blaineschools.org.

A quality education for our students requires our continuing involvement and investment, and we should be proud of the public education system we have to build on and improve.




 Local Weather 
Search archives:


Copyright © 2024 Express Publishing Inc.   Terms of Use   Privacy Policy
All Rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Express Publishing Inc. is prohibited. 

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.