Dear Editor,
Supporting Measure A is good for the overall health of our community. It is now widely recognized that your health and the health of your family is deeply influenced by a variety of social and environmental factors outside of the care you receive from your provider or the medications you take. One of these “influencers” is education. Early education is associated with healthier behaviors, longer life, and better quality of life. An investment in our schools, therefore, is also an investment in the long-term health of our community.
If supported by voters, Measure A will fund improvements to school campuses, including access to updated learning technologies, enhanced safety, and necessary improvements such as flooring, roofing, heating, and air conditioning. The state of California doesn’t provide sufficient funding for these upgrades – we must fund this ourselves for our community to thrive.
Measure A will also make a new high school possible. This new campus will allow the Visalia Unified School District to balance student populations and help ensure equal access to the extra-curricular activities that enrich the high school experience.
Measure A will deliver huge benefits to our community at a very little cost to us ($36 per $100,000 assessed valuation). Also remember that when our community makes a local contribution such as Measure A, the state of California matches the funds we put in dollar-for-dollar for new construction and 60-40 for improvements and modernization. If Measure A fails to pass, these state funds will go to another school district.
Again, an investment in our schools is an investment toward the improvement of health and well-being of our community as a whole. Please join me in voting Yes on Measure A.
Kerry Hydash
President & Chief Executive Officer
Family Health Care Network
