I urge Pasco School District voters to vote yes for Pasco schools. The funds provided by the levy renewal are essential for maintaining the financial health of the district and its ability to continue to provide a quality education for Pasco's children. Over the past three years, state funding for K-12 education has been cut significantly for all Washington schools. Pasco has been able to absorb these cuts thus far because it is constantly looking for ways to operate more efficiently. In fact, Pasco was recently commended by the state auditor's office for its administrative efficiency, and it was cited as model for other school districts to follow. In the state auditor's words, "We are hoping to identify what is going on in the Pasco School District so that other districts can emulate these efforts to bring down non-instructional costs so that more money can go into instruction."

However, as an accountant I know there is a limit to what can be done along these lines. Our schools are doing their job in carefully managing the public funds entrusted to them. Let's do our job by voting yes on Feb. 14.

Kent Toyoda, Pasco