I am writing this letter with a pit in my stomach. Our children's education is at stake in this upcoming levy on May 5th. I believe I have a unique perspective on this issue. Let me explain. Both sets of my grandparents moved to Tallmadge before their children were in school. My mom and dad both grew up in Tallmadge and chose to stay in this community to raise their family. I am very thankful for their decision. I had the privilege to attend Tallmadge City Schools. I received an outstanding education as well as having the opportunity to be involved in many extracurricular activities. My grandparents remained in this community their entire lives. My parents too still reside in this community. It is a community based on tradition. When I think back to the founders of our city, the two most important issues for them were religion and education. The circle holds the church and what used to be the academy, the center of our community. I would like to think that we still hold these values as they are grounded in tradition.
When I went off to college I decided I wanted to become a teacher. I wanted to have the opportunity to give back to this wonderful community what it had afforded me, an excellent education. I am proud to be an educator in this district. This is a district full of wonderful people, who truly care about the children in this community.
As adults, my husband, also a Tallmadge graduate, and I had a decision to make. Would we look for a house in Tallmadge or in a neighboring community? We decided to reside in Tallmadge, mainly because of the excellent school system. There is no substitute for a quality education. We were willing to make sacrifices in order to raise our family in this community. God blessed us with a daughter. She is currently a student in the Tallmadge City Schools. Her education has already been affected by the cuts our district has been forced to make. I worry about her education and her future. For the first time ever, our district is facing an emergency levy. If this levy does not pass, our district will be forced to make even further cuts that will devastate this school system. Our children's future is at stake. The curriculum and standards have changed from when I was in school. What was good for me is no longer good enough for my daughter. The standards and expectations at each grade level are higher than what they were when I attended school. When our children leave our homes they need to be prepared to enter into society as educated, productive members. Our school system plays a very important role in this endeavor. My child spends more of her waking hours at school, than she does at home. This does not release me of my role as a parent to guide and educate my child, but rather I have entered a partnership with her teachers and school.
As a teacher and a parent, I have seen first-hand the cuts that have affected our building alone. Quality teachers have been let go, the children have lost thirty minutes of computer instruction a week, an instructional library program, twenty minutes of art and gym a week, a part time reading tutor, a full time math tutor, enrichment classes for both reading and math, and field trips to name just some of the losses. We have lost budgets for replacing broken equipment, updating and replacing worn out resource materials and books, and we no longer have the support for professional growth and development. As teachers, we spend a great deal of our own money to support the learning in our classrooms. This is a choice we make, because we care about kids. However, we are not able to overcome the amount of cuts that we are faced with. Please remember these are cuts that have already been made. If this levy does not pass it will have a devastating impact on our children, their education, and ultimately our community.
I have heard all kinds of reasons why people have decided they will not vote for the levy. I beg you to become informed, put personal issues aside, and consider the effect your "NO" vote will have on the education of these young people. If you have questions there are several places you can turn to for answers: Call the district office, look on tallmadgepride.org or www.tallmadge.k12.oh.us for more information.
For those of you who have already made the decision to support this levy, our children, and community, I express my deepest gratitude. Thank you for keeping the tradition alive.
I grew up attending school in this community, I returned to this community to reside as a tax payer, I have a child currently in the school system, and have the insight the effects of these cuts make day to day as an educator in our district. Please, I implore you to join me in voting "YES" for my daughter and all the children of this community.

Sincerely,
Julie Neidert