Voting 'yes' on levy a no-brainer for Mountain Home

Dear editor:

We live in very interesting times. Governments are willing and able to bail out banks and large corporations, but when it comes to education the cupboard seems to be bare.

Whenever this country is going through fiscal turmoil it always seems to be our young people who end up biting the bullet. I have often wondered why.

Is it because children under the age of 18 can't vote, or the fact that it is hard to quantify the long-term non-monetary returns on money invested in education? Who knows? What is evident though is that as we are cutting education budgets and resources our foreign competitors in Asia are increasing funding in their education infrastructures.

Next, we have our educators, once revered in ancient society second only to kings and emperors, they are now relegated to the ranks of the poor relations. Now a lot of people reading this will be saying to themselves, "Get out the violins or change the record. We are tired of hearing what a tough job you teachers have."

However, consider this -- if you were in a position where you are constantly having to cater to more students as class sizes increase and you were given less resources to perform your job and to top all that you're going to be paid less, I think that most professional people would have a problem with that.

If that wasn't enough, the constant requirements on certification and ongoing classes teachers have to take to stay current and foot the cost of such classes. Something has to give!

This brings me to the issue of the levy. Now, to most rational people it would seem that to pass this measure would be a no brainer. We would retain the ability to provide a much-needed interschool sports program for our young people and avoid mandating a slap-in-the-face 19 percent pay cut to school district employees.

However, it seems that many people in this town are willing to cut off their nose to spite their face. The naysayers to the levy cite things such as a distrust of the school board, but what's at stake here is the future of our children and the future of this town. Can we put these petty grievances behind us and do the right thing?

Other people opposed to the levy may be property owners with grown up children. They would argue that they don't want to pay more tax in these tough economic times, but there will be a longer financial legacy for these people if the levy fails to pass. If the levy fails to pass, many families in Mountain Home will be forced, out of obligation to their children, to move to Boise to pursue sports and after-school activities. The net result of this will be a glut of houses on the market, which will ultimately bring property values down across the board.

Another important question for those opposed to the levy is a very simple one: Who paid for your education?

Now, let's focus back on our students. I have read blogs and seen pro levy signs on cars all over town, but if you get a chance talk to a student who is old enough to realize the implications of the levy not passing, do so.

They are angry and really upset and not without good reason. If the levy does not pass, what we are telling our young people is that "we don't care, your future does not matter to us, and you are on your own." Inevitably, if the levy does not pass there will be a backlash. Expect to see a rise in adolescent crime, teen pregnancy and vandalism around town.

As an educator, parent and resident of Mountain Home I hope that common sense will prevail here and we can retain some form of status quo in our school district and give our talented teachers the resources they need to give our youth every chance of success in the future.

The only real problem I can foresee is complacency. What I mean by that is that the general opinion seems to be that the levy will pass so many people have the mentality that they don't need to cast their vote.

Please don't fall into that trap. Register to vote and do the right thing so that our town doesn't take a massive step backwards.

Stephen Speak