I urge Ann Arbor school district residents to vote for the WISD millage on Nov. 3. As a longtime Ann Arbor teacher, I obviously have a stake in the outcome, but even more as a graduate of the Ann Arbor Public Schools and the father of two graduates.
My children attended the AAPS from kindergarten to high school graduation. They received an excellent foundation for their later successes at the U of M and Kalamazoo College.
Their teachers showed great kindness and dedication. From Kindergarten Camp at Mack to Band Camp at Pioneer, school was filled with fun, hard work, connections, and discovery.
Our schools do an excellent job teaching the highly diverse children of Ann Arbor. Students come from all kinds of backgrounds, some gifted, others highly challenged. Some live in mansions, others in homeless shelters. All get the best instruction a dedicated, educated staff can offer.
I’m impressed with the way the district faces issues like the Achievement Gap between students of different races, as well as adapting to the technological changes that rock the educational world today, as they change all aspects of our lives AAPS has a rich tradition.
We’ve weathered many cutbacks since 1995, when Proposal A was passed, but we continue to deliver a fine education. Now, though, the meltdown of Michigan’s economy has undermined school funding. The cutbacks we face now are vastly greater.
Here’s our choice: Continue the current inadequate support to the schools. As soon as the federal stimulus funds are gone, we’ll see greatly diminished Ann Arbor schools. Students will experience drastically reduced educational opportunities.
To continue the quality of our school district, we need to find additional funding sources. Please vote yes on the WISD millage on Nov. 3, to avoid unprecedented cutbacks.
Dan Ezekiel Ann Arbor
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