Dear Editor,

As a high school student in the Seattle Public School district, I was amazed at the gall of the author of the Op-Ed piece, “Vote ‘No’ on school levies.” The Operations Levy that is being voted on provides over a quarter of the operating budget of Seattle Public Schools, and the use of it as a political tool is unacceptable.

While there are merits to the argument brought up, mainly the low voter turnout expected in this election, it is a message that needs to be expressed in a different way, not through the defunding of public schools.

This levy funds sixth period in high schools all across Seattle. I don’t believe, and I am sure many agree with me, that we should cut our students’ education by a sixth just for a cheap political trick. There is a time and a place for the argument that these levies should be voted on in the general election, just as there is a time and a place for the argument that we should fund schools through the state budget, not levies.

That time, however, is not now, and that place is not this election, with the futures of Seattle students on the line. If the state legislature refuses to work out their differences and fund our schools, we must put aside small grievances and take action to secure funding for our schools, so that our students can look forward to a bright future. This is why I urge the author to reconsider his stance and join me in voting Yes on the school levies.

Benjamin Lennon, Ballard High School Senior

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