Yes vote puts kids on the right path

One Seattle has children who are healthy, well supervised and supported inside and outside of school. They are likely to grow up, go to college and get good jobs.

The other Seattle has children who go to school hungry, who have unstable family lives, are sick or are left to their own devices after school. They are more likely to do poorly in standardized tests or fail in class, drop out, get pregnant or get caught up in addiction or crime.

For every smart and talented child born into the first Seattle who grows up to succeed, there is a smart and talented child born into the other Seattle who is left behind.

We can -- and we must -- do better for all the children of Seattle.

Seattle voters have an opportunity to help on Sept. 14 by saying yes to the 2004 Families and Education Levy (Proposition 1).

The levy emerged from comments and suggestions by 2,500 parents, teachers, community and civic leaders and from work by the Citizens Advisory Committee and Levy Oversight Committee.

In our discussions, we put a focus on the two Seattles -- that only two of every three students graduate from high school and only half of students of color graduate. We recognized we had to bring change to the children of our city or Seattle would continue down a path of inequality, those with hope and those without hope. We had to put resources into programs that would have the greatest effect on improving student achievement.

The 2004 levy puts a focus on:

Early learning: We're going to get children ready to learn from the very beginning. Levy investments will support pre-school programs, early-reading programs and help for parents so they can help their youngsters get a good start in school.

Out-of-school time: How kids spend their time outside school has a major impact on what they do in school. All the after-school programs that are funded have an academic component and, just as important, keep kids out of trouble. Family engagement is a critical part of these programs, as well.

Support for high-risk youth: The levy provides help for children who need special attention to stay out of trouble and stay in school.

Student health: School-based health centers offer critical help to students and provide services that include pregnancy prevention and treatment for depression and eating disorders.

To make sure we get results in the lives of our children, levy programs will be evaluated every year, using specific measures such as grade-point averages, test scores, numbers of absences, discipline rates, graduation and dropout rates.

The Families and Education Levy offers a smart, compassionate strategy for improving the future of our students and our city. It sets a new and positive direction for Seattle's children. It gives every child and every family a chance for a success in our schools

Please help. Please vote yes on Sept. 14.

Greg Nickels is the mayor of Seattle. Lisa Bond is the president of the Seattle Council of the Parent Student Teacher Association (PTSA) and past president of Washington state PTSA. Additional information about Families YES! is available online: www.familiesyes.com or by calling 206-389-8657.

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