If many of these issues were created at the state level, shouldn’t the state fix them?

This is one of those arguments that seems logical on the surface. Yes, unfunded mandates contributed significantly to the rise in district expenses.

But think about it for a moment and the false binary embedded in the question comes into view.

Do our state legislators need to seriously rethink how schools are funded, and the costs districts absorb when new statewide programs are created? Undoubtedly, yes.

At the same time, do we as a community want to see further cuts that eliminate programs and opportunities for our kids? I hope the answer is a resounding “hell no.”

Those aren’t competing choices. We can push the state to fix the formula and protect our kids in the meantime.

The district has said it repeatedly: passing these levies will not solve the problem on its own. Circumstances beyond our control drive much of what happens in the budget.

The one thing we can control? Whether we do something about it or just watch it happen.