Yes To Children: With volunteer help, SUSD override is expected to pass

In this day and age, we suppose our campaign to renew the SUSD budget override is considered “old school.”

It is a grassroots campaign driven by volunteers --- including parents, teachers, community leaders, education advocates and even students who are pitching in to help SUSD succeed.

The school district is fortunate to have scores of community members so committed to SUSD students and teachers. On behalf of our Yes To Children committee, we want to express our deepest appreciation to all the volunteers who are taking the time and making the effort to pass the override.

With the hard work of our volunteers, we expect to win voter approval to continue the budget override --- which, by the way, does not increase the property tax rate. But we are not taking winning for granted. Neither should you.

We understand not everyone can work on the campaign. You can, however, tell your family, friends and neighbors how important it is to vote yes on the budget override.

They should be interested in hearing that renewing the override will provide SUSD with approximately $19 million a year, all of which will remain in SUSD. Those funds will be invested in maintaining quality schools that increase property values and enhance neighborhoods.

Of course, and most importantly, students and teachers benefit too.

The budget override will keep full-day kindergarten; maintain current class sizes; retain music, arts, world languages, athletic programs and extra curricular activities and also continue an emphasis on technology.

In addition, the override will help the school district keep teachers’ compensation competitive, so SUSD can continue attracting and retaining the most highly qualified educators.

Renewing the budget override is critical. Don’t take this election for granted --- because every vote counts and your vote matters.

Ballots were mailed Wednesday. So, please, vote yes on your mail-in ballot for the SUSD budget override.

Editor’s Note: Melinda Gulick and Denny Brown are co-chairs of the Yes To Children campaign committee to renew the SUSD budget override.