I was appalled by the notion that anyone in the 31st District, or the state of Washington for that matter, would believe that Rep. Cathy Dahlquist is anything but a die-hard advocate for education.

Cathy has directly advocated for high-risk students and has personally helped many who would have otherwise failed cross the stage and receive a diploma. The same philosophy applies to education funding, as she believes that all schools that appropriately use taxpayer dollars should be funded. Cathy fully understands the importance of these two concepts, as schools that don’t have to worry about paying the bills but can focus on getting students across the stage with not only a diploma, but a quality education.

A recent letter to the editor by, of all people, a former educator, has falsely claimed that Dahlquist has done just the opposite. He has accused her of not only throwing needy, at-risk students under the bus but also cutting funding to a particular school and closing its doors. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Rep. Dahlquist was awarded the highest honor of recognition by the Washington Association of the Deaf. Just this year Cathy was named the Washington ACTE “Champion for Career and Technical Education” Award. Her work on legislation on behalf of these high-risk students insured they received an equitable and high quality education which proves that she cares about our most vulnerable students.

I recognize the value of a legislator like Rep. Cathy Dahlquist and am glad to see that she is recognized by outside organizations for her stellar work on education. On behalf of our family I appreciate her work.

Lori McDonald

Enumclaw