Principals urge you to vote yes for Kent School District levy | Letters

Editor’s note: The letter below replaces a different letter that was published in the Sept. 20 edition of the Kent Reporter. From the letter’s sender, Shawn Lear: “I need to apologize for a mistake I made. I attached the wrong KPA KSD Levy support letter when I submitted it last week. Is there a chance you could reprint/replace with the correct KPA KSD Levy support letter? Again, my mistake, and we appreciate anything you can do to repost/republish this asap.”

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Principals urge you to vote yes for Kent School District levy

Kent School District students need you to vote yes on Nov 5. This levy funding measure is not just about maintaining buildings and technology infrastructure — it is about investing in our students now so they are able to give back to our community in the future.

A YES vote will provide critical repairs. Seven KSD schools have roofs that need replacing, and six schools have boilers that are past their useful life span. This levy will provide for these improvements. Additionally, the capital portion of this levy will provide critical repairs at the Transportation fueling center, as well as replacing the emergency generator at the Central Kitchen. Both of these projects have a significant indirect impact on our students.

A YES vote impacts student safety. Fire alarms will be replaced at four schools, directly improving student and staff safety during the school days. In addition, the levy will support vital intercom systems which are necessary for communications in emergency situations.

A YES vote maintains student technology. The Kent community has made a strong investment and commitment over the years to provide students with reliable classroom technology, and the staff and student training to integrate technology use into everyday instruction. This levy will support the natural replacement of hardware over time, such as document cameras and classroom display boards, as well as update the software students and staff use and the training to integrate software in the classrooms. The levy will also replace aging 1:1 student devices as they become obsolete over time. As you can imagine, the infrastructure required to keep the technology running and connected is significant. This levy will improve cybersecurity for students and staff, which is an ever-increasing concern. The levy will improve network and wireless access in buildings, along with broadband access.

Exercising your constitutional right to vote YES will ensure that our buildings are maintained and school/safety operations continue smoothly. In the November 2023 election, only 24% of our registered voters engaged in the election process. Our Kent principals know that we can increase that percentage of voters! Through updated technology, well-maintained facilities, and a dedicated team of educators, every aspect of the levy contributes to an environment where students can learn and grow.

We want to be very clear that a no vote will directly impact school buildings, our students and families. Kent school principals urge you to support the levy and vote YES on Nov 5.

Heidi Maurer, KPA President

Jennifer Osgood, President Elect

Michael Jackson, Elementary School Representative

Stephanie Knipp, Middle School Representative

Jacob Crossfield, Assistant Principal Representative

Kent Principals Association (KPA) Board of Directors