Linnig: Voting ‘no’ on SUSD override cripples future students’ potential

My name is Haley Linnig and I am one of the many students that have benefited from growing up in Scottsdale public schools.

I have had countless opportunities open to me due to the education I received. I am currently a third year computer science student at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and have been working for Raven Industries as a Software Development Intern.

I would not be where I am today without the programs and teachers that were available to me through our public-school district.

SUSD (Scottsdale Unified School District) is responsible for my knowledge and experience in Mandarin Chinese (always a surprise to employers on my resume), orchestra, calculus (allowing me to begin college in Calculus III), theatre (where my public speaking skills stem from), English (from persuasive writing to rhetorical analysis), robotics, engineering (specifically a college credit course offered at my high school that detailed different engineering disciplines), and many other fields.

Voting no on the SUSD override is equivalent to crippling our future students’ potential, no matter where they intend to continue after school.

These students are the future of our community and they will be affected by class sizes, lack of arts programs, and a decrease in overall opportunity for development.

We also can’t expect teachers to be able to do their jobs with an overall decrease in scholastic funding, it’s bad enough already with how many teachers are forced to pick up multiple jobs or simply leave the district to find someplace that will pay a living wage.

I am so thankful for the teachers who worked tirelessly for my education, despite their limited resources.

I will be voting yes on the SUSD override and I hope that you will as well for the sake of every student in our school system.

Editor’s Note: Haley Linnig is a graduate of Scottsdale Unified School District.