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It is critical to vote in support of the Lake Pend Oreille School District’s replacement levy on March 12. In our family, my husband, four children, and currently five grandchildren have attended and received excellent educations from LPOSD. They have participated in extracurricular academic and athletic activities, attended small rural schools, have had reasonable class sizes, and been able to choose from a variety of elective programs. These are just a few of the things only made possible through local funding.

Local financial support is vital to schools in Idaho. School districts must make up the funding gap between what is provided and what is actually needed. Local support is not extra, it is essential. LPOSD is not unique in this regard. Post Falls, Lakeland, Coeur d’Alene, Boundary County, and West Bonner County school districts are all asking for levies this March and have been doing so for years. Wallace, Mullan, Kellogg, and St. Maries all have such levies as well. The state simply does not fully fund schools. Approximately 83 percent of school districts throughout the state depend on these maintenance and operation levies in order to function. When other levies and bonds are included, every school district in Idaho but two rely on the support of their local communities. Both of the districts that do not currently rely on this support have less than 25 students in their entire district. The reality is that Idaho schools must have local funding to provide the services that their communities expect.

JUDY HULL

Sandpoint