Dear Fellow Lincolnite,

This note comes to you from Chris Karel and Julie Warren; many of you know us as the current PTA Co-Presidents of Lincoln PTA. We have had a great year at Lincoln full of laughs and heartwarming moments. We write today for a more serious reason: to urge you to vote FOR the Lakewood City Schools operating levy (Issue 6) on May 4.

The two of us have lived in Lakewood for more than a decade, so we know our property taxes are high. But it was precisely for that reason that the Board and administration of the Lakewood Schools have made stretching our tax dollars the highest priority, and have achieved the incredible feat of going eight years without an operating levy, five years longer than originally promised. ( Ohio ’s school funding formula normally forces districts to add levies every two-three years.) Meanwhile the Lakewood Schools have consistently scored well against increasingly difficult state standards ( Lakewood ’s current rating is “Excellent”), while facing the challenges presented by an especially varied demographic mix of students and parents.

Business Week magazine recently gave Lakewood the top spot in Ohio in its 2010 “Best Places to Raise Your Kids”; “great schools” was a major reason. For years Lakewood has produced a disproportionally high number of National Merit Finalist and Semifinalists, Advanced Placement Scholars, and students eligible to take college coursework before even leaving high school! Simultaneously, the Lakewood Schools offer a wide range of high-caliber music and athletic programs that we parents know are so critical in developing the kinds of future neighbors we want in our city.

But while trying to stretch dollars, the recession hit, and now the Lakewood City Schools are in a desperate situation. The 6.9 mil operating levy is not enough to prevent significant staffing cuts already in progress. But if this levy fails our community will be catastrophically changed forever. Class sizes will swell, programming and staffing cuts will be huge, and the Lakewood Schools will be set back for many, many years. Even children who are newborns today would pay a huge price in lost educational opportunity and quality.

This levy is not just about the Lakewood Schools, but about the quality of life for all of us who live here in Lakewood . The health of our schools directly determines who chooses to live here and who chooses to leave. It affects our sense of community and perceptions about basic safety. The health of our schools directly affects our property values! The fact that Mayor Ed Fitzgerald and Councilman Mike Summers are co-chairing the levy campaign underscores that this levy is about life in Lakewood , not just its schools.

We also encourage you to go to www.lakewoodschildren.org to view a short video presentation. If you have further questions, please reply to lincolnptaeweek@gmail.com Regardless of your decision, we both thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Chris Karel and Julie Warren