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The gravity of the current situation in our school district is one key reason to vote yes on 3A, the Mill Levy Override.
Unfortunately, it is quite frequent that a student comes into the counseling office with everything under the sun going wrong. I made a suggestion to one heavily burdened student to take on just one of the many challenges instead of staying frozen and overwhelmed by everything. I asked this student: “What is one important item out of all that troubles you that you have the most control over?” Many students since have given the same answer as the first one: “School.”
It is vital for students to find a way to regain ownership when the going gets incredibly tough. A sense of confidence returns when a student begins making headway in some area of life. We don’t have the power to change everything, but it is wise to act on those things that we can.
In the current tough times, many of us feel similar to the overwhelmed student. It is challenging to know where to begin or to find anything that we have control over. What is one important problem area that we can address that impacts all community members? School.
Our school district has just gone through a brutal round of cuts that pushed class sizes to record levels. We are not out of the woods yet. If 3A does not pass, the crowded classes will get bigger.
An impassioned group of staff members are in the trenches making the best of the current situation. We are stretched, but we are keeping morale up and keeping passion alive because we care deeply about kids and education.
You proactively make a commitment whether you vote for 3A, or vote to strike it down. A no vote is a commitment to making a tough situation worse. There is a cost to the Mill Levy Override, but there is also an incalculable cost if it doesn’t pass. The state of education in this district is one problem that is actually within your control. Please vote for the kids. Vote yes on 3A.
Donovan Dreyer
Fort Collins