I am a multilingual teacher going into my seventh year serving the students of Lewiston public schools. I am a homeowner in Lewiston, and a new mother who has chosen to raise my family in this great city.

Editor, I am frustrated. It seems that my fellow residents don’t care enough about the quality of our students’ education to fund our schools properly. Whether they are voting against, or not voting for the school budget, they are saying that our children don’t matter. Our public schools are the bedrock of our community. It is where we educate, inspire, and raise up our youth.

I have heard longtime residents lament about the deterioration of our city. These same people refuse to see an incremental increase in their taxes in order to fund the future of Lewiston. Empowered young people contribute to their communities. They open businesses, volunteer, raise families, and send their children to the schools they grew up attending.

Thriving public schools are the only hope for the future of this city. I hope my neighbors might join me in voting “yes” to approve the school budget being offered on July 9.

Linsay Lee, Lewiston