First, allow me to establish my bona fides: five generations of my family have lived in Enumclaw, and now three generations including myself and my children have attended Enumclaw schools. I was born in our hospital, raised here within the care of a community filled with teachers, pastors, friends, and neighbors who supported and shaped me into the person I am today. After moving away, my family moved back to town in 2023 – and I watched as my children were embraced by that same community.

So, it has brought me a great deal of pain to see school levy after school levy fail to pass due to what appears to be a proxy battle being waged around issues that our school district cannot control. Namely, how the state government has underfunded schools across our state, but more broadly the perspectives and views of everyone’s echo chambers on social media sowing lies and mistrust and overflowing into our local community.

The thrust of my note to you all is this: you cannot bring about flourishing through destruction. Casting a “No” vote on school levies to cause suffering at a greater level and force the state to take action will not work – but it certainly will cause harm to our kids, teachers, schools and community. The 2026 replacement levies represent more than 16% (almost $18 million per year) of our district’s overall budget. Removing that funding would be catastrophic locally – and have zero impact to anyone outside the plateau.

But here’s the good news: a Yes vote on these two levies won’t increase your tax bill. In fact, projections show that the overall tax rate may decrease slightly in the coming years thanks to some stellar work from our school board which will save us all $3 million dollars over the next nine years.

I encourage you to visit the school district’s website which provides facts about the levies. Ignore the half-truths, fear, and suspicion you see on some of those signs around town. They exist to tear down, not build up, our community.

If you have doubts about how your tax dollars are being spent, get out and go to one of the many touchpoints between our schools and their neighborhood: go to a Unified Basketball game, see a school musical, or even attend a school board meeting. Interact with the teachers, staff, coaches, and administrators – who also happen to be your neighbors – see the care and faithfulness they apply to work with our children, and leave that proxy battle you want to fight behind.

If you love it, fund it. Vote yes on ESD Prop 1 and 2 to strengthen our schools and continue to help our kids and community flourish.

Graham Bartlett

Enumclaw