To the editor:

I know that I am joined by many community members and leaders, parents, students and senior citizens in asking Lawrence citizens to please support education in our community by voting yes for a 1 percent increase to the school local option budget in the election on April 1. Lawrence has a strong history of supporting education at all levels.

I have seen firsthand the incredible dedication of the teachers in the Lawrence public schools, and I hope that Lawrence citizens will strongly support them. They are fantastic!

The real reason that local school boards have to ask for additional funding is because the Kansas Legislature continues to cut taxes and tells local school boards to go to their communities and ask for additional dollars. This way, your state representatives and senators can tell you that they didn’t raise taxes, when in fact, they just passed the buck. Additionally, the school district asks each family (who can afford it) to provide hundreds of dollars in fees to support their children’s “free” education.

Just as many of your costs have risen due to huge profits for the oil and gasoline industry, so have costs risen for the school district, and for the teachers who work very hard.

Please say “yes” to this very important support of education in Lawrence. This is a very small increase ($13.80 per YEAR on a $200,000 home) with a huge return on your investment. Invest in Lawrence, invest in teachers, and invest in the students of this community.

Julie Jasperson,

Lawrence