Home > Organizing > School Levies > 2007 School Levies > 2007 Levy Letters	Print View

For the past five months, I have sacrificed seemingly endless hours, money and energy to ensure that our school district gets the money it needs.  By a conservative estimate, I have spent over 300 hours doing the following:  attending meetings, delivering yard signs, staffing school functions, ordering and picking up signs, writing letters to the editor, communicating through e-mail, making phone calls, distributing literature, marching in a parade, creating levy materials for my PTA and much more.    Even if I was paid only $6 an hour, I have lost over $1800!   In addition, I have driven a minimum of 100 miles a week specifically for levy related tasks.  That equates to at least $250 in gas and an extra 2000 miles on my car.  (Stillwater is a HUGE school district.)  Finally, my family and health have definitely paid a price.   I have spent less time with my two small children, lost many hours of sleep and have experienced a great amount of stress.  I am so thankful to have supportive friends, family and a husband who have assisted with household chores and babysitting duties.  They have also played the role of counselor and listened to my tales of woe on many occasions. 

I repeat, this is a ridiculous way to fund schools.

Even if the levy does pass in our district on November 6, it is just a band-aid.  It does not fix the bigger problem.  The state needs to change the school funding formula before our communities are fed up with levies and abandon our children in the name of “tax relief.”

This is my plea:  Please do your job and provide a promising future for our children and our communities.  Make education a priority this next session.

Sincerely,

Julie Kostroski
Hugo, MN