My family moved to the area last September. The choice of the particular neighborhood we ultimately chose was due in part to the access it allowed to the Issaquah School District.

As a parent of two children, one in the fourth grade now and one who will be entering kindergarten in September, it is important to me to have a quality, high-performing public school, especially since the school we were at showed us the effects of not-so-great performance.

Since we were new to the area and the school district, I attended an event to learn about the levies that the Issaquah School District will have on the ballot in February. I went to that event with the misconception that the Issaquah School District was a “rich” district. What I learned was that ISD is ranked 292 out of 295 school districts in state per pupil funding.

In February, the Issaquah School District will have three levies on the ballot all just renewing levies that will expire. The expected cost to a homeowner with an assessed value home of $500,000 is just $40 per year for the next four years. The maintenance and operation levy alone provides $0.21 of every classroom dollar. Without it, the Issaquah School District will lose almost a quarter of its classroom funding.

So, in February, I will be voting yes for all three Issaquah School District levies to support a really great school district and help continue to make the schools high-performing for my kids and others kids in the district.

Tanya Taylor,
Renton