Letter to the Editor: Why I Voted Against the Centralia School Levy

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This letter is in response to Centralia School Board member Vicki Jackson’s question, “I understand you can vote no. I’d just love to hear why.” 

First, I’d like to thank Jackson for her question. The first step in problem solving is “determine the root problem,” and I’m encouraged by her example.

So, on to my answer: I didn’t vote against “a” levy, I voted against “this” levy. And I did so because it was an all-or-nothing package, much like most legislation, that included programs I think are ineffective, wasteful and have nothing to do with education — at best. At worst, there is a pretty persuasive argument that many of these elaborate rewards-based behavior modification experiments are actually counterproductive to the overall mission of educating our children.

I would have readily voted for the advertised price tags for athletics, music, security and classroom technology and staff. I would also have paid for clubs and activities, counselors, nurses, grounds personnel and a reasonable inflation accommodation. All told, this would have added up to approximately $3 million per year — or roughly equated to around $.75 per thousand of (current) assessed property value.

What I am not agreeable to paying is an additional $3.5 million (per year) for a collective group of “behavior management programs” such as Multi Tiered Support Systems (MTSS), which include other equally vague monikers such as Response to Intervention (RtI) and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS).

If you spend some quality Google time looking into all these top-heavy, personnel-intensive, classroom-intrusive approaches to getting a kid to “not misbehave,” you may be surprised at where the majority of your levy dollars are going. I also balked at an additional $500,000 per year for special education, because state and federal governments are already pumping considerable additional funding into all school districts for these services. The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) provides a wealth of information, by school district, laying out the funding (by type) that flows into the CSD budget each year. Check it out.

In closing, I have a recommendation for the school board: Follow Jackson’s lead and start asking voters what they think is appropriate for inclusion in a local school levy. There are a variety of inexpensive online survey tools available for this very purpose. In fact, some are free to nonprofits and state governmental groups.



I’ve often shared with others how some amazing teachers helped me through the most difficult times of my life and are responsible in no small way for any significant accomplishments I’ve enjoyed. Give us a levy that includes those things we can understand and agree to, and you just may see we’re not the stingy self-absorbed deplorables some seem to be suggesting.

As the old song goes, “You can’t always get what you want, but if you try, sometimes you just might find, you get what you need.”

 

Terry Overton 

Centralia