Village needs to approve levies

Published 12:49 pm Tuesday, January 19, 2010

My husband and I moved to Mercer Island in 1960 for the same reason that many of us do. We had children ready to enter school and after much research realized that Mercer Island had the kind of schools we were looking for. Now, after 50 years, our four sons are launched, and we are well pleased with the education they received. Because of job changes, the boys were not able to complete their educations here, but the foundation was laid. All four completed college, and two went on to advanced degrees.

We firmly believe that the expectations of not only the schools but the community played a large part in their successes. “The village” expected their young people to work hard while the adult community showed their support by supporting education with adequate funding. During the 1960s, there was a huge influx of people moving to Mercer Island. The community stepped up to the challenge, built new schools and funded necessary updates to curriculum.

We are again faced with many challenges: a weak economy, projections that more students are entering or re-entering (from private schools) the Mercer Island district, and the low level of financial support that Mercer Island gets from the state. This, coupled with the recognition by our superintendent, School Board and school leaders that high test scores are not enough to prepare our students for their futures. The district’s 2020 Vision responsibly addresses that need by supporting students to “think, collaborate and be creative and effective in the interconnected world, while keeping standards high.”

As we talk to other “senior citizens,” we find that a large majority feel as we do. They are strongly in support of the need to support our schools with volunteer efforts, financial support and encouragement to keep up with the times. This can best be shown with three yes votes on the Feb. 9 levy ballot.

Emery and Barbara Eckert