Strong schools make for strong communities.
I have always believed that, and that is one of the reasons why I have spent more than three decades working in education as a teacher and an administrator.
In April, we will have another opportunity to support our community and our schools, and I encourage you to show your support for the Centralia School District levy in order to build a strong future for our community.
At Centralia College, we work with more than a dozen school districts to help students plan their futures and achieve their goals. We want all of those schools to be strong and successful. But I live and work in Centralia, which is just one of the reasons I want to speak up in support of the School District and the current levy.
Part of our role at Centralia College is to build a vibrant local workforce. In that capacity, we work with a variety of local and prospective new employers to meet their workforce training needs. When we meet with businesses who are thinking about moving to our area, they always have questions about our local workforce — are there employees available to hire? Do they have the skills and training needed to be successful? We want to answer those questions with a resounding yes. To do that, we need all of our local schools to be strong and vibrant places, with the resources needed to teach today’s students, as well as the students of the future.
Strong schools make for strong communities.
This school levy is about our children and their best possible future. The children who go through our schools today will be our community members and civic leaders tomorrow. We want them not only to find good jobs, but to be active members of our community, to be volunteers, leaders, innovators and role models. Our schools need to prepare these students to be problem solvers, creative thinkers, solid citizens and active participants in our democracy. Our schools can only do this if we make sure they have the resources to support high quality teaching and learning. Our children deserve the same high quality education that children in other communities are getting. In order for that to happen, we need to take action and show our support.
The special election will take place April 25. According to the Lewis County Elections Office, your ballot should arrive in your mailbox around April 10. Please take action to fill out your ballot and support our Centralia schools. Drop your ballot in the mail or in an official ballot box on or before April 25.
Strong schools make for strong communities.
This is everyone’s issue, not just those with children currently in schools. If we support our schools, our schools will support our community and help us to build a legacy of excellence in Centralia.
I support the Centralia school levy, and I encourage you to do the same.
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Bob Mohrbacher is the president of Centralia College.
