My family and I arrived in Bend in 1973. The population was 13,000, but Bend was growing. It seemed every election cycle we were looking at the need for another school and a school board to support it.

Now we are retired. Our children and grandchildren have already gone through Bend-La Pine Schools. So why should I care about this learning levy? The following are three good reasons:

1. The pandemic set us back educationally, especially for the younger students. By voting “yes,” we provide the support and program students need for success.

2. Strong public schools are essential to our community. When youth thrive in school, they are more likely to succeed in life and grow up to be productive community members, business owners, employees, and neighbors. Everyone benefits. If they fail or drop out, the entire community pays the cost.

3. A strong educational system attracts families and new businesses. This fosters a vibrant population and economy, enriching our cultural fabric and making Central Oregon a desirable place to live.

It is easy to say “no.” We pay taxes, fees and other costs to live here. But “no” would be a mistake. “The only thing more expensive than education is ignorance,” Benjamin Franklin. Vote “yes” to help provide a better future for the next generation.

— Neil Bryant lives in Bend and is a former state senator

We are writing in support of the learning levy for Bend schools. While it is unfortunate that the state has fallen short on its funding commitment, as a community we must take up the slack if we are to sustain and improve the quality of education our children experience. Teachers are asked to do so much more than they have been in past decades for reasons known to us all, including providing increasing levels of support for students in need.

As professionals in the music education field, we have seen the effects of studying music (and all the arts) on a child’s level of development, confidence, and learning ability. There is solid science, both historic and recent, supporting the concept that studying the arts — especially music — increases both academic performance (especially math, science and literacy) and the potential for greater success as adults, no matter what field they ultimately choose.

This levy represents an opportunity to invest in not just the future of students, but in the future of this Central Oregon community we are all privileged to call home. We can create a positive outcome by doing all we can to help students become the positive influencers of tomorrow.

The benefits of passage will be far-reaching. A YES vote on this learning levy is a vote for students and our collective future.

— Robert Lambeth, executive director, Cascade School of Music; Judy Heck, board president, Cascade School of Music

I would like to encourage my community to vote Rob Imhoff for Deschutes County Commissioner.

Being a native Oregonian, family man, pastor, coach and a community leader in the building industry, I feel like he strongly represents the values of local residents. He knows how we love what we have, and where we live.

Rob works well with others which will be helpful for our board of commissioners, to get the work done that we need. Our homelessness problem needs a logical approach, and Rob says he believes in a “hand up path” and also understands the housing process for a path to affordable single-family homes.

Rob has experience with business and budgeting, and talks about what has been on my mind lately. Foreign, federal and state agencies taking the lead with our local resources, land and wildlife. We need Rob Imhoff to be our voice on the Board of County Commissioners here in Deschutes County.

— Rachel Nordenhök, Bend

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