Our schools need a yes vote on 3A

Five years ago, my husband and I bought a house in Centennial. The main impetus for our move was our children. We had been living in Jefferson County, and were very concerned about the financial state of the Jefferson County school system.

After much research, we decided to move to an area served by Littleton Public Schools. LPS had a strong record of fiscal management and accountability. The district had a reputation for hiring and retaining the best teachers. LPS student test scores ranked LPS as one of the top three school districts in the state.

While our school district continues to rank at the top today, it may not for much longer. Littleton Public Schools has been forced into dire financial straights. Simply put, LPS does not have the money to maintain the kind of education that our citizens, parents and businesses have come to expect.

I have spent a lot of time volunteering in my children’s classrooms, and have personally experienced the impact of the budgets cuts. In 2007, there were 20 children in my elder son’s first grade class. Last year, there were 29 children in my younger son’s first grade class. The state of our schools is becoming simply unacceptable.

It is no longer possible to depend on the state or federal government to solve our school funding problems. As a last resort, the LPS school board has voted to put forth a ballot question this November asking the community to increase mill levy funding for the Littleton Public School District.

So far, our community has expressed strong support for the mill levy increase. This increase would provide an additional $12 million annually to the LPS general fund, helping to offset detrimental future cuts.

I hope you will join me and others in voting yes for Issue 3A. Please do not stand by and watch as our schools fall apart and our housing values drop.

Kassie Moreci

Centennial