LETTERS

Bremerton schools levy

Don’t let district throw away more tax dollars

As a concerned parent of two boys in the Bremerton School District, I would urge voters to reject the upcoming levy. Voters passed the last levy in an effort to keep librarians, offer more music and increase student achievement. Instead, we have lost the librarians. Music and PE have been decreased and high school student achievement scores have decreased 13 percent from 2005 to present, as WASL data indicates.

I am uncomfortable with this new levy given the current waste of resources. For example, the Open Court reading program which is construed as “disposable curriculum” costs $516.72 per student each year. Once the student has completed a unit, these reading booklets are tossed in the trash. Multiply that cost and waste per student, per year, and you can see why I no longer have faith in our educational system. Wouldn’t it be better to invest in an old fashioned set of textbooks that can be used for a decade?

Imagine what kind of classroom our kids could have if the teachers were allowed those same resources. We could have schools filled with art, music, science and, ultimately, success. Most importantly, the amazing teachers in Bremerton would have creative control over their classrooms.

However, the politicians and school district seek to bamboozle us with smoke and mirrors and scare us into submission. While they were ousting librarians and reducing both music and PE, they somehow found $35,000 to run a special election.

Clearly, the administration puts publishers ahead of students and uses scare tactics to get your vote.

Don’t reward their poor performance with more of your hard earned dollars. It’s not about doing less for our children, it’s about doing more for less.

Jim Higgins

Bremerton

Foodline Drive

Thanks to all who gave

On behalf of the board of directors, staff and volunteers at the Bremerton Foodline, we wish to thank the many individuals, businsses and organizations for their support this past holiday season.

The Bremerton Foodline was able to provide more than 1,600 families a food basket between the two holidays, along with their regular food baskets. This was done because of the generosity of people in the community. Not only did these people provide us food items, but there were hundreds of volunteer hours donated to gather food through food drives, volunteering their time to assemble the baskets, sort food and assisting our clients.

All of these efforts made the holidays happier for hundreds of families. Thank you all for your kindness, support and generosity to help our community this past year. Without all of you the Bremerton Foodline would not be able to do what we do for those in need. Together, we can stamp out hunger one family at a time.

Katherine Thayer

Executive Director

Bremerton Foodline