As a parent of a high schooler and a middle schooler in south Bellevue, I have been advocating for public schools for over a decade. With over 1 million k-12 public school students in Washington state and this country’s strongest constitutional language, education funding must be our No. 1 issue.

As chair of the Senate K-12 Education Committee, Steve Litzow has played games with the future of all of our kids. When the 41st was represented by Fred Jarrett and Marcie Maxwell, we took the lead in redefining basic education with the promise that it would be funded in the next biennium. That was in 2009. The 2016 session is over and we have not seen significant progress in funding.

Don’t worry, we hear every year. That’s our priority for next year. My sophomore was in second grade in 2009. My middle schooler was in pre-school. My kids, and yours, have been pushed to the bottom of the stack because it’s just too hard.

The good news is that we have an alternative. A vote for Lisa Wellman will remove Litzow from that chair. Even better news is that as a former teacher and tech CEO, Lisa understands that not only do our kids need more, it needs to be better and it needs to be current.

Please join me, and my family, in supporting Lisa Wellman for Washington state senator, 41st District. Talk to your friends, and cast your ballot as soon as it arrives in the mail. If you haven’t already registered, you can still do so in person.

Ruth Raskind

Bellevue