Levies are stopgap funds intended to get us through unexpected costs. They were never intended to be a permanent part of the school budget. That’s why they have an end date.

We have an increase in the number of students, due in part to the added housing developments, yet we don’t require to pay fees to offset the costs that levies are used to pay for.

The superintendent and staff salaries should be paid by the state or renegotiated to fit within our budget and reflect what their duties will be under the State Superintendent of Public Instruction. This would also help reduce the need for a levy.

We have been told of classes, programs and staff that the state won’t pay for. All of these things require permanent funding, not a temporary levy.

What we have not been told is what all the state will fund under the McCleary decision and how much our state taxes will increase.

We need complete transparency on all these issues, as well as a completed McCleary decision before we extend a levy that is over 30 years old and has not solved our funding problem.

Guilt is a form of bullying. Don’t be guilted into passing this levy.

Gary Grant, Federal Way