The Boise School District will hold a bond levy election on Tuesday, March 13. I encourage all residents in the Boise School District to get out and vote. If you're not in the Boise District, several other districts around the Treasure Valley are also holding levy elections. The quality of our public schools impacts not only families who have school-age children but the future of our community as a whole.
Being a music teacher and a firm believer in the importance of arts education, I understand that my specialty is often one of the first on the chopping block when districts start losing money. The Boise District has been unique in its ability to maintain a quality music program despite budget cuts, even winning a national award for music education.
Many of our awesome advocates have been providing levy facts and figures at our concerts and music programs. If I promoted the levy at my own concerts, I would say in an extremely desperate tone of voice: "You like this music program? Support it. Vote in the levy. Poor Mrs. Duggan could be the next to go because her profession is seen as frivolous and unnecessary." Of course, this is why I am not allowed to speak about the levy. And our awesome grass-roots volunteers are much more eloquent. (If you truly believe my profession is frivolous and unnecessary, please refer to this recent article in the Chicago Tribune.)
This is not to say that as a proud Boise School District employee I have not done my share of promoting our upcoming bond levy election. And in true Becky fashion, I have even been known to make a fool of myself in the process.
The other day, I was driving home when a truck pulled up next to me. To be quite honest, if I had been judging a book by its cover, I would have assumed the driver to be an anti-tax-raise-of-any-kind person. But the pickup was covered in green paint reading, "Pro schools. Vote 'yes' on March 13!" I quickly felt ashamed of my preconceived notion and tried to catch the gentleman's attention with a combination of enthusiastic waving and thumbs-up signs. I also pointed to my rear window where I had posted my own "Pro Public Schools" flier. I think he might have thought I was flipping him off.
On Monday, I was at the dentist's office, and the Boise bond levy seemed to be on everyone's mind. The hygienist asked me what the bond levy would do for our district.
I could have said something more informed such as, "It will maintain class sizes and special programs. The district has already tried to keep the cuts out of classrooms and away from our students as much as possible. Many of our administrators are already working multiple positions. We have nowhere else to cut."
Instead my alarmist side took over and I replied, "Save my job," except my mouth was cranked open and my teeth were being scraped, and it came out more like, "Eh - Aye -Ahhhhh."
Somehow she understood me.
The dentist, whose children attend a charter school, said as I was leaving, "We'll keep our fingers crossed for you."
Last weekend, Dan and I took a walk and saw a Tea Party no-tax-raises-under-any-circumstance-even-if-it-will-save-our-public-schools bumper sticker on one of the cars in our neighborhood. Dan had to hold me back.
"Everybody already thinks you're a crazy liberal!" Dan said as he steered me away from the house surreptitiously.
That's probably true. One neighbor made a comment a while ago about the government taking too much of his money.
"And then all that money probably just funds the thousands of wars that America has mongered," I said before I could stop myself. "Give that money to the public schools!"
He didn't say anything. I greeted his speechlessness with a nervous giggle. Then he smiled.
"Yeah," he said with chuckle.
Last summer, Dan and I met some people from Illinois while touring Europe. They told us that their public school system had a property tax charter similar to the Boise schools'.
"In our community, we don't mind if our property taxes go up a few dollars per month. We know it's going to a good cause," they said.
"Even in this down economy?" I asked.
"If we want good schools, we figure we have to pay for them."
To which I responded, "Why can't you live in Idaho?"
For your reading pleasure:
The Idaho Statesman endorsement
Reader's View about the levy
Facts and Figures regarding the levy
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