Supporting rural schools

This spring, voters in Swan Valley Elementary School District #33 will have the opportunity to vote on two levies: one for general operations and one for technology. Swan Valley Elementary School has not asked for an operational levy for 14 years and currently does not have specific funds designated for technology. We all know the cost of everything has increased in the last 14 years.

These funds will help Swan Valley School keep up with rising transportation costs, support staff salaries and retention, and ensure students and educators have appropriate technology to learn in a modern world.

Students will be directly impacted by these funds by having access to field trips, a music program and updated curriculum and learning tools.

The timing of these levies is unfortunate, to say the least. We are all painfully aware of the staggering increases to our property taxes. There is a heightened awareness and concern surrounding the use of tax-payer dollars. While the majority of tax dollars seemingly disappear into the ether, local rural schools bring tangible benefits to communities. Rural schools create jobs and attract young families who also support the local economy and community. Rural schools are community hubs, inviting the public to watch basketball games, play pickleball, enjoy concerts and holiday programs and vote in person. Rural schools connect us to our community’s history and are a pathway to our future.

When I first moved to Condon a decade ago, I spent some time working with Swan Valley Elementary School students. I grew up in a city with an enormous school district and the idea of multi-grade classrooms was completely foreign to me. After engaging with the students I was awestruck by their community-mindedness. The younger students would look to the older students for guidance and the older students would happily lend support. Their willingness to support each other and work together was inspiring and vastly different from my own experience in school. Rural schools build community-minded, engaged citizens and independent thinkers.

This modest funding increase will help ensure our school’s viability. Perhaps in the future there will be other mechanisms to bring more funding to rural schools. Encourage your elected officials to seek creative solutions to rural school funding challenges. But for now, levies are the only tool in the toolbox.