Don’t give up on voters or technology

Published 9:00 am Saturday, May 21, 2005

It was a lot of money, for purposes inadequately explained and poorly understood.

Let that be the epitaph for the school district’s $8.9 million technology levy, which garnered only 43 percent support Tuesday. The plan to put up-to-date computers in classrooms, digital instruction technology in the hands of teachers, and supporting infrastructure in buildings proved to be the first Bainbridge school levy failure in three decades. Why?

It would be easy to ascribe the dismal showing simply to the dollar outlay asked of island property owners, estimated at $200 per household per year for four years. But we tend to reject the notion that voters have reached “tax saturation”; while it is incumbent that our public agencies show fiscal restraint, we believe the community will support even

big-dollar requests if the purpose is clear.

Unfortunately, the tech levy’s expansiveness worked against it, including as it did items that were easy prey for critics or others looking for an excuse to vote “No” – newfangled items like the classroom “white boards” that were only vaguely understood. The campaign was left exposed when opponents nitpicked the program (sometimes decrying as “extravagant” items that had already been cut out) because there were simply too many different angles to defend.

Some fault also lies with the voting public, particularly folks who “knew better” even if they hadn’t made any effort to learn the nuances of the program. Anyone who suggests the school district can just go out and buy a few thousand cut-rate Dells and call it a day is talking through his propeller beanie. Staff training and computer support are key components, and will be so in any future levy. The school buildings themselves require upgrades to support the equipment. This levy was not just about sending some outmoded machines to the recycler; it was about moving the district forward by a quantum leap in its technological capacity.

The school board has yet to formally discuss Tuesday’s results, but we hope it won’t be too long before voters see another tech levy – the need persists, and diverting funds from other corners of the classroom is not an option. If the levy must be pared down and its purpose refined, so be it.

Beyond that, the school district and its allies really need to go into year-round campaign mode, using email and other means – regularly – to hammer home the reality of funding problems in this district. Bainbridge remains stuck in the bottom 10 percent in per-pupil funding in this state, and that fact needs to pervade community thinking. Voters also need a better understanding of why significant improvements can only be achieved through special levies. Finally, future campaigns need to engage a broad base of community groups – the Chamber of Commerce, service organizations, and even local realtors, for whom excellent schools are a major selling point – not just for their votes, but for their active and visible public support. Those constituencies all have a stake in our schools, and all must be prepared to campaign on the district’s behalf.

Whatever Tuesday’s vote meant, we’re confident that it was not a vote against new technology in our schools – that’s going to creep in over time, whether you like it or not – or against the school system itself. Two years ago, 78 percent of island voters supported a four-year maintenance and operations levy, and that intrinsic support for public education has not waned. The tech levy results are disappointing, but neither levy friends nor foes should read too much into them.

We can all do better next time. And there should be a next time.