Our Snoqualmie Valley School District depends heavily upon local funding for hiring teachers, improving their effectiveness, school supplies, and other school operational expenses. About one quarter of the district operations budget comes from our local taxpayers, and approval for that must be reapproved every six years by voters.
We are pleased to announce a new community organization, started by neighbors for neighbors. The Snoqualmie Valley Food Bank is a new, community-based organization dedicated to providing food and key resources to help our neighbors and our community thrive.
As current and former members of the Snoqualmie Valley School District Board of Directors, we are united in our endorsement of the measures being placed before voters on the February ballot. Both Proposition No. 1, the Educational Programs and Operations Levy, and Proposition No. 2, the Technology Levy, will renew our investment to support basic education and technology in our schools.
Please make the effort and vote in favor of the Educational Programs and Technology levies for the Snoqualmie Valley School District. Ballots are already arriving and the deadline for mailing them back is Tuesday, Feb. 11.
So you are retired and live in the Valley,
Perhaps picking up litter can be right up your alley?!
Walking daily for our health a must,
More aerobic exercise will help, we trust.
This week, voters in our community will be receiving ballots for a very important election. The ballot includes two levy propositions for our schools: a four-year Educational Programs and Operations Levy, and a four-year Technology Levy. These levies, if approved by the voters, will renew levies passed back in 2010 that are set to expire in 2014. Like us, nearly all of our neighboring school districts are proposing levies of a similar nature in their respective communities.
I’d like to send out a truly heartfelt “Thank You” to all of the students, staff and their families at the Snoqualmie Valley schools for their generous support and items donated toward the American Legion Auxiliary’s care packages. These donations, along with beautiful artwork and letters of support, were sent in care packages to a troop of soldiers deployed from Joint Base Lewis McChord. The soldiers appreciated knowing that citizens were thinking about them, while they were far from home during the holidays. We sent 33 boxes, one for each soldier, filled with items that make them a little more comfortable and remind them of home. Each package was received with a smile.
This week, registered voters within the Snoqualmie Valley School District will be receiving their ballots for the February 11 all mail-in election. There are two four-year replacement levies on our ballots. The Education Programs & Operations (EP&O) Levy, formerly called Maintenance & Operations (M&O), provides for nearly one-quarter of the costs of our district’s day-to-day operations, programs, and personnel needed to serve the basic education needs of our students.
Recently, the Chinese restaurant in Carnation changed ownership. Having not been there lately, I decided to give it a try. The food was great, but I couldn’t help but notice something. When I was there, around 6 p.m. on a Thursday night, I was the only person in the restaurant.
In late December, the Snoqualmie Valley lost an iconic personality and community leader. I first met Tall Bill Blakely while filming the amazing theatrical performances at Fall City Elementary during the Tina Worthington era. Epic events like these take a huge amount of community support, and Tall Bill was a vital piece.
Regarding the letter to the editor published in the December 4, 2013, issue of the Valley Record by Mr. Joe Monahan of Fall City, I must respectfully disagree. As a parent of a first grader I find it frustrating to discover that cursive is still being taught at all. I can’t think of any formal instruction that could better waste the time and effort of students and teachers. Any and all instruction time currently allotted toward cursive writing would be much better spent teaching keyboarding skills.
Words cannot express the overwhelming gratitude we feel for the hundreds of people who reached out with love, support, help and wrapped their arms around our family, and Ron Swanson’s entire family (following his death).
As I bring my time on the Snoqualmie City Council to a close, I want to thank the citizens for your trust and the opportunity to serve you over the past 10 years. The choice to step down was not easy, but I am pleased with what we have accomplished together.