Letters to the Editor for Jan. 21, 2021

Vote 'yes' on school levies for our community Legendary crocodile hunter Steve Irwin once said "... education is all about being excited about something. Seeing passion and enthusiasm helps push an educational message." Shouts of joy as the ball swishes through the hoop in an Unified sports game or the sighs of relief when successfully troubleshooting a technical problem in FIRST Robotics, that's passion and enthusiasm. This is what the two Camas School District replacement levies fund - programming, staffing and technology - rounding out the outstanding classroom teaching our students receive. These replacement levies fund up to 20 percent of our local Camas school district budget. One funds programs and operations and the other, technology. The overall tax rate decreases 14 percent to $4.77 per $1,000 of assessed value in 2021 from $5.57 in 2020. Please join me in voting YES by Feb. 9, to continue creating a strong community. To learn more, visit voteyescamas.org. Ellen Burton, Camas Stop taking away tools for the firefighters Whether or not a house fire occurs in the city or rural area, they require the same amount of resources for the firefighters to safely handle them. For this reason, ECFR should stop the practice of "downsizing" their fire engines. This puts the firefighters and citizens at increased risk. Residents of East County Fire and Rescue should take note of this poor decision and start asking questions. The best chance of rescue of victims and extinguishment of a fire lie with the first arriving fire ENGINE. If that resource is now a squad, this will eventually lead to greater potential for loss of life and property. If you live in ECFR's service area, are you OK with that? Zach Goodman, Camas Vote 'yes' on levies for strong schools My wife and I moved to Camas in 1995 as our children approached elementary school age. We had looked into public schools and found that Camas had a long history of K-12 support through responsible levy and bond funding measures. In February, we will be voting "yes" (to the Camas School District replacement levies) again several years after our three girls completed 12 years in outstanding Camas schools on their way to leading productive adult lives. Please join us in making sure we pay forward to next generation Camas families the benefits of strong schools and a vibrant community by voting YES for Camas schools on Feb. 9. Bob Engel, Camas Camas School District is ‘of and for’ all of us For over 20 years I’ve witnessed a constantly improving and growing school district here in Camas. Our three kids attended the schools here and are now on to their young adult lives. I feel like I’ve been a part of a community that, for over those 20 years, has come together to provide educational opportunities for a wide variety of learners and extracurricular opportunities for anyone who wants to, well, do a little bit extra after school. This community: the city, the citizens and the teachers and administrators, have bonded into a high performing unit that benefits all of us. Strong schools beget a strong community and vice versa. A vibrant downtown Camas spins off from confident citizens, for example. And yes, even those of us whose children have moved on to the rest of their lives benefit from this great community. And it’s for that reason that I strongly encourage all of us Camas voters, young and old alike, to VOTE YES for the two replacement levies on the Feb. 9 ballot. A YES vote will assure the continuation of everything we’ve built in this community – of and for all of us. Mark Klein, Camas Former school board member voting ‘yes’ to Camas School District levies As a former school board member and parent of three graduates of Camas schools, I am writing this letter to encourage support for the Camas School District’s levies, which will be on the Feb. 9 ballot. In my view, there is no better investment for a community than public education as it benefits us all and builds a better future for our young people. The levies on the ballot are replacements of the current levies, which expire at the end of the year. This makes (the levies) even more critical, because they are required for the continuation of teacher positions and programs that are fundamental to our students’ basic education. Please support our great schools in Camas and join me in voting YES. Mary Tipton, Camas

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