The passing of the bond and levy is of great importance to me and my family. Along with being an eighth-grade Math teacher at Totem Middle School, I am also a parent and taxpayer in Marysville.

My wife and I have seven children, with five of them attending schools in Marysville. My oldest daughter is a sophomore at M-PHS and is also on the swim team. I have two boys who are currently attending Marysville Middle School and I have two more daughters who attend Sunnyside Elementary. My two younger children will be attending Marysville schools soon.

The bond and levy vote is very important. If it does not pass, the class sizes will increase, teachers may lose their jobs, support staff will be cut, operations staff will be cut and certain services will be eliminated. Many of you may not think that this concerns you, but I believe it does. While you may not have any children attending schools in Marysville, you may have a son or daughter who’s children do, a niece or nephew, or a friends child who either attends school in Marysville or at least uses the school districts facilities. My children, like many others in the community play sports and participate in many other activities in Marysville. If the levy does not pass, there will be less money for operation costs for the school district. The baseball fields, football fields, soccer fields, gyms, and auditoriums having less maintenance. It may cost more to use these facilities, which means that whoever decides to use these sites may have to charge others more to participate in that activity.

I challenge the residents of Marysville to walk out the front door your home and look around and find someone who will not be affected if the bond and levy does not pass. All around the city there are children and parents who depend on our schools, not only to gain a valuable education, but to be able to use the facilities for their church, sports or other activities.

This letter may sound like a sounding board since I am an educator, but it is actually a sounding board because I am a parent with a lot at stake for my children and the next generation of children to come through Marysville. So remember, on Feb. 9, vote yes.

Tim Rice

Marysville