Take ownership of our schools

The single biggest way most of us help support and raise our children is through our schools. These schools are concrete expressions of the care and vision we have for the next generation and for the future of our community. The quality of each child’s school experience cannot be left up to anonymous “experts” or distant policy makers. These are our children, this is our community, and these are our schools.

And with ownership comes responsibility. Here are two actions you can take:

1. Consider sharing your gifts, talents, experience, and support directly with our children as a volunteer. Every member of our community has an educational role to play, and our need for strong intergenerational relationships has never been greater. Contact me for more ideas on creative and meaningful ways you can share your strengths with our young people.

2. Keep investing in the physical structures where our children spend most of their waking hours by supporting the Marysville School District Capital Levy this February 11th. I have been teaching for 30 years and this levy will replace two schools (Liberty Elementary and Cascade Elementary) that were built long before I was even born.

We may not be able to solve all the world’s problems, but together we can make our schools exactly what we need them to be.

Jim Strickland

Teacher, MGHS

Marysville