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School mill levy and bond issue are worthy of support on the Nov. 2 ballot

Debbie NelsonSilverthorne

I am supporting the school district’s mill levy and bond issue on the Nov. 2 ballot because I believe that the Summit School District continues to move forward with a better education for my children. The school board agreed more than three years ago to ask voters to approve a Special Building, Maintenance and Technology Fund.With this funding, they were able to relieve the general fund of more than $2 million a year and put that money toward smaller class sizes and improved instructional programs for our children. Basic education is what our board, our administrators and our teachers are focusing on. That basic education must be provided to each and every student – including students with special needs, students whose first language is not English and advanced learners.In Colorado, we are faced with a limit for which each school district can raise for its general fund. The Special Building, Maintenance and Technology Fund is a fund which sunsets every three years. With this money, the district is able to maintain its buildings and improve educational technology without having to go into the general fund. By doing this, more money becomes available in the general fund to spend on instructional programs for our children. In most cases, these are not additional instructional programs – they are enhancing our current programs by reducing class sizes. Whether a child is an average student, an advanced learner, or a child with special needs (including a second language learner), releasing the general fund dollars to be spent on education is an important step to a better education for our children. I firmly believe that my child will get a better education in a class size of 18 versus a class size of 26 or 30. If you are unsure as to how the money from both the mill levy and the bond will be spent, please call superintendent Dr. Millie Hamner or any of the board members, because the plan for this money is very specific.My hat goes off to Hamner, the school board and the other administrators and educators in the school district. They continue to work very hard to bring a quality education to our students. I visit the classrooms, I see what my children are learning and the environment in which they are learning. I am pleased with what I see and am even more pleased to see the plans to move forward with higher standards.I support both the mill levy and the bond issue and believe we as a community should support it as well.


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