Editor,

Our local school levy is all about building academic success.

If you vote yes on our school levy, you are voting to support academic success, providing: 34 teachers, about 30 instructional assistants and other support staff, 30 more minutes a day of math and reading in elementary schools and more.

It will bring back half of our AP classes, update computers, textbooks, support for sports teams, after-school tutoring and other activities, such as Wildcat TV, music concerts, culinary arts and much more. The levy’s approval also means a return to a full middle school day, with 30 more minutes of learning time and safe and effective special education.

Before we had a levy, just 11 years ago, we had only one AP course, a shorter elementary day and almost no student computers.

Our school levy has changed all that and it’s paying off for our kids.

Oak Harbor graduates are now earning $5 million in college scholarship offers every year, about double what it was before the levy.

Our neighboring communities and other military towns in Washington already provide levies that are four times larger than Oak Harbor.

Even when including federal Impact Aid, Oak Harbor kids are shorted by about $1,000 per student compared to other communities. Give our children a chance. Vote yes!

Erica Wasinger and Lynn Goebel
Co-chairs Citizens for Better Schools