To the editor:

When you go to the polls on Nov. 8, 2016, one of the decisions you will need to make is whether or not to support the Sidney City Schools in their effort to pass a 3.0 mill Permanent Improvement levy for five years to maintain current facilities and equipment. The passage of this levy will ensure that the district can maintain facilities, buses, textbooks, and technology with minimal or no impact to the general fund.

It’s important that you understand this is for maintenance of what we already have. Just as you have to do things to maintain your own home so it doesn’t fall apart, the schools need to do the same thing. Things become outdated, technology changes constantly, textbooks are damaged, lost or a new version is published, buses need repairs, buildings and parking lots need repaired — all things that are a normal part of operation. Most of these buildings were built in the 1950s and 1960s. Keeping these buildings maintained is essential.

As a graduate of Sidney High School, I feel the education I received there has served me well. I have had a successful professional life that has benefited many people in Sidney and Shelby County. If we don’t insure that our schools are in good repair and that the technology and textbooks used by our students aren’t kept up to date, future students will struggle to be successful. We need to make sure they have every advantage of receiving a quality education.

I urge you to join me in voting YES for the Sidney School Levy!

Kathy Lindsey

Sidney