The Ocean Beach School District wants to renew the Educational Programs and Operations levy to provide more teachers, support staff, and supplies that the state allegedly does not fund fully. The district also wants to have taxpayers pay for a renewal of the technology levy.

We have heard repeatedly from Superintendent Amy Huntly several times that the state only provides three-quarters of what districts need. Well, it looks to me that the district needs to make a 25% cut in order to make budget.

If there is a funding problem, the district should take it up with the state, not the residents. When my family budget is not enough to cover anticipated expenses, I cut something out. I do not go and ask my neighbors for their money. They have a budget too.

The district technology director Dan Kleffner has indicated that the Technology Levy pays for numerous types of technology for the district to include every student getting a Chromebook. He further states that cybersecurity threats have resulted in schools being shut down and possibly pay hackers after a ransomware attack. It would seem that pencils and whiteboards are immune to school shutdowns.

What has all this technology and well-paid teachers of our district produced? The Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction shows that 34.7% of the district high school students met the standards for English, 10.7% met the math standards and 27.4% met science standards. All the extremely poor results only cost $20,227 per student.

All the extra activities and sports are meaningless, if the students leave school without the basics of an education.

And don’t get me started on the County Commissioners looking to raise our local sales tax by 0.1% thanks to the state legislature changing the state law that used to require voters to approve such an increase.

PATRICK SMITH

Oysterville