Support the schools

I am writing this letter to express my support of the two Federal Way Public Schools levies that are up for renewal next month. I am proud to say that I spent my entire 45-year career (1975 to 2020) as a teacher, assistant principal and principal in the school district. In the first seven years of my career as a teacher, I experienced firsthand the detrimental impact repeated levy failures had on our students, our staff, our buildings, and the broader community.

Since the early 1980s, the Federal Way community has overwhelmingly supported its schools by approving proposed levies. On Feb. 8, two very important levies will be before voters for renewal, and I strongly support both.

The Educational Programs & Operations (EP&O) levy will maintain critical funding needed to support staff and programs. This includes funding for counselors, nurses, security staff, custodians, para-educators, athletics, music and more.

The Tech levy ensures all students in Federal Way Public Schools will have access to the technology they need to learn and master the skills required to be successful in tomorrow’s world.

As a Federal Way homeowner, I am also pleased to learn that with passage of these two levies, the Federal Way school district will be able to continue to provide all of these essential services and the tax rate will remain roughly the same as it is now.

As a former educator, Federal Way resident for the past 30 years, and now proud grandfather to a Federal Way Public Schools student, I strongly urge you to vote yes to renewing both the EP&O and the Tech levy on Feb. 8, 2022. Our children, our grandchildren, and our community’s children are worthy of the investment.

Ballots will be mailed on Jan. 19, 2022, and drop boxes open on Jan. 20, 2022. If you have questions or would like to know more about the essential services and programs these levies support, I encourage you to check out the Federal Way Public Schools website www.fwps.org/Levies2022.

Randy Kaczor

Federal Way

Proud to vote yes

As a teacher and fellow community member, I have spent the last 28 years working as a math teacher at Thomas Jefferson High School. My wife and I moved to our city 22 years ago, and raised both of our children here. Our children attended Federal Way schools pre-kindergarten through 12th grade and they are currently thriving in college, thanks to the education they received. Every few years, we are proud to vote yes to renew the levies and support our students.

I encourage my fellow communities member to join me and vote yes on the Feb. 8 ballot. Our vote funds essential services and staffing such as nurses, security, counselors, athletics, music and more.

Especially as we endure the pandemic, we all know the importance of our students having access to technology to prepare them for life and career, including student laptops.

If you have questions and want to learn more about these levies, more information is posted on our Federal Way Public Schools website at www.fwps.org/Levies2022.

Ballots will be mailed on Jan. 19, 2022, and drop boxes open on Jan. 20, 2022. I encourage you to vote “yes” to support our schools by Feb. 8, 2022.

James Brown

Federal Way