The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

Dear Editor,

Four generations of my family attended Dayton Schools and received a solid education here. I want to ensure that the children in our community continue to have the same opportunity for a quality, well-rounded education. That is why I am supporting the upcoming levy for Dayton Schools.

This renewal levy will provide needed funds to bridge the monetary gap left by the state’s funding formula. The Educational Programs and Operations (EP &O ) levy will support maintaining smaller classroom staffing, Career & Technical Education (CTE), vocational and STEM programs, athletics, extra-curricular activities, student health services and nurses, school counselors and more. The Capital levy will support technology infrastructure, improvements and upgrades of the safety and security systems, as wells as efficiency improvements for the HVAC and electrical systems. These are all critical to educating the whole child and fostering student success.

Having been a teacher for over 30 years, I understand the importance of a community making education a priority and supporting its local schools. As a current classroom volunteer, I have observed first hand Dayton’s teachers and staff striving to provide the best learning environment for each and every child in the district. Please join me in supporting their important mission, and vote YES to invest in our schools, our community, and our future.

Kris Takemura