Columns/Opinion, Letters to the Editor

Voters must see value in Preston County levy

Cat McConnell, Independence
Preston County voters will have a school levy on the ballot May 8. We all benefit from the projects this revenue will support, whether you have school-age children or not. Our school buildings are in need of critical maintenance, but there’s also much more this money will provide.

You probably heard about Brain Freeze school snow days this winter. This is an innovative way for kids to keep learning at home using technology on days when the roads are not safe for the buses to transport kids to school.

This levy supports technology enhancements that make things like Brain Freeze, virtual learning and summer skill building effective throughout the county. We save money from not running buses and heating schools to 70 when it’s 10 below and snowy outside, and from keeping kids engaged in learning during the summer. Dollars spent on these technologies are smart investments.

I think we can all agree that our school facilities also need some safety and security upgrades. This levy plan provides specific improvements for these resources, and there’s no time to waste on this. Our students and school personnel deserve to be safe.

Our school facilities are valuable resources for us all, and this levy provides for improvements to facilities for community use, as well as education.

I encourage Preston County voters to see the value this smart plan offers for all our county residents. I support this levy.