Editorials, Opinion

Thank you for supporting schools

In case you haven’t heard the good news, the excess levy for Monongalia County schools passed.

When we spoke to Nancy Walker before the special election, she said that “excess” is a misleading moniker. The levy funds the excellence we’ve come to expect as the standard for Mon’s schools. The approved levy won’t change the current property taxes, because the board of education chose to keep the rate steady at 73%, so property owners won’t be paying anything extra. That said, investment in education is always worthwhile.

We’re proud of the community members who came out and showed their support, and we’d like to thank the volunteers who staffed the polls.

We’re proud of the people who voted — period. Special elections tend to see lower turnout anyway, but this year’s participation was especially low. Only about 8% of registered voters in the county cast ballots. In the future, we’d like to see more people engaged with the civic process — whether you are for or against the measure up for a vote.