To the Journal editor:

Fellow Community Members, I decided to send this heart-felt letter to the editor to you to let you know that I, as a 31-year dedicated teacher in the Marquette Area Public Schools district, hope to encourage you to vote yes in the upcoming millage.

Having worked on several committees in the district over the course of my career I have seen our district struggle through some challenging and successful times. I have also “walked-the-walk” as a MSHS alumnus, parent of two successful MSHS graduates, daughter and wife of two past School Board members, and an educator for more than half of my life.

Most recently, I have also been a member of the MAPS Strategic Planning Team that has worked diligently, over the past two years, to come up with a building alignment recommendation and to narrow down some of the most important needs in our district that would improve our buildings as far as security, structure, and learning environment in each school building.

This list of needs is not full of fluff and extravagance, but rather the highest priorities that our buildings and school family need over the next ten years. It does not directly address the contract that my fellow teachers are working toward, but its basic goals will protect our students and staff, making our learning environment healthier, and keep our buildings in working order.

I realize that not all of my colleagues are in agreement with me, and I respect their right to disagree, but I also hope that my dedication and wisdom, after making education my life’s career, has earned me their respect for my position as well.

I am optimistic that our district will pull through this challenging time, and I also know that our educators in the district want an end to the struggles that we have faced over the past year. I also think that we would be “shooting ourselves in the foot” to not work together to get this millage successfully passed.

So again, I encourage all of our community members to vote for, and to support, this upcoming millage. This affirmative vote will strive to make the future positive and bright for our MAPS community. The healing must start some time and now is the time.

Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter.

Kay Angeli

Marquette