Whittier PTA Supports School Levies

The Whittier PTA Board and General Membership voted in January to support the upcoming Seattle Schools levies. By now most Whittier families have received their mail-in ballots for the February 9 election, which includes the two levy renewals:

The Operations Levy (Prop. 2) funds "instructional programs, full-day kindergarten, sixth period at high school, student activities such as drama, music and athletics, textbooks, classroom supplies, and security and student transportation" This levy represents nearly one-quarter of Seattle Schools' annual general fund operating budget.

The Capital Levy (BTA III, Prop. 1) funds "projects that benefit every school in the district including many small renovations, major maintenance and improvement projects, technology, and academic projects." (from SPS).

These two levies do not raise tax rates. They are renewals of expiring levies passed three and six years ago, respectively. Together these levies represent a large and essential portion of Seattle Schools' budget. With other education funding sources declining because of the recession, it is extremely important that these levies pass. Both the Whittier PTA and the Seattle Council PTSA have endorsed passage of the levies. If you support these levies, here's what you can do:

• VOTE: When you receive your ballot *do not* add it to the pile with all the kid mail (we all have them). Place it in a hallowed spot where it will inconvenience you every single day until you send it in. Better yet, fill it out and send it immediately, since the levies are the only ballot measures for voters in this area. (Of course, vote "yes" on both levies). Note that there will be no local ballot drop-box for this election. Make sure your ballot is postmarked by February 9.

• LEARN MORE: For more information, go to Seattle Schools website: http://www.seattleschools.org, or Schools First: http://www.schoolsfirstseattle.org/. Schools First is an non-profit organization devoted solely to campaigning for school levies in Seattle.

• DO MORE: See Schools First's website for opportunities to make a donation or take other action to support the levies.

For questions or further information, contact Jordan Singer (PTA Legislative Rep.) at: jpsinger@jpsinger.com

We would like to thank all of the students who participated in the PTA REFLECTIONS art program this year with the theme "Beauty Is...".We had lots of entries from all grades.

We are excited to announce that of the twelve finalists from Whittier sent on to compete at city level, we had two winners who will go on to compete at the state level, as well as one artist recognized with an honorable mention (see names and details below).

The variety of artwork and creativity by Whittier students was wonderful. The artwork is hanging in the school lobby-with photocopies of the finalists' work. REFLECTIONS Finalist and Honorable Mention art entries from throughout the city are on public view at the Seattle Center, Main House (above the Food Court) through Dec. 31 Again, hats off to all who entered and a big thank you to all the parents, teachers and staff who helped make the contest a success.--Linda Oakley and Diane Sandoval-Onikubo, co-chairs


Whittier FINALISTS (advanced to city wide judging):

Visual Arts	Kaysa Engdahl	"I Spy Page"
	Mia Gesinger	"A Beautiful House"
	Jessica Gislason	"Unexpected Beauty"  *HONORABLE MENTION
	Lucy Harvey-Smith	"Beauty is Fall Leaves"
	Yuto Onikubo	"Beauty is a Touchdown"
Photography	Allison Carmel	"Trees"
Literature	Emily Hofbauer	"Beauty is a Spider" *FINALIST
	Myele Johnson	"Beauty Is the Sun, Moon, and Earth"
	Natasha Tennyson	"Beauty is Soccer"
	Brennan Thompson	"Beauty Is..."
Dance	Maya Rice	"Dance of the Cat"  *FINALIST
Music	Nathan Davis	"Untitled #41"