Support for college levy

by Archie L Thomas & Merry Schrumpf, Corvallis

I’m a non college educated Bitter Root home owner, retired business owner and 57 year valley resident. Richard Hulse’s community college opposition letter does not speak for me. A $58,800 average  Bitter Root family income is the very reason we need a community college. Better education equals higher incomes. Roughly 25% is funded by local tax levy, 25% by tuition and 50% by state funds. State funds will be not available without a local levy and tuition would need to increase 400% to cover the shortfall. Get “real”! This local college has nothing to do with Biden’s agenda or forgiving student loans. Further, none of the costs listed were  accurate, supported or documented. One of many justifications for a community college is illustrated when starting or operating a construction business.

Construction involves hard work, becoming a skilled tradesman and for some starting your own business. You might start with a new truck complete with a vinyl business logo on the door. You are now in business. You’re working 60 hours a week, hiring and firing people, ordering material, missing your kids, sometimes not getting paid, maxing out your credit cards, sweating paying suppliers and employees and generally stressed out. If you are lucky, by the time the vinyl logo is worn out  and the truck’s paid for, you’re still in business, if not still broke. I have both barely survived and thrived under this on-the-job-training of hit or miss business development. 

What is missing? Business, personal, and technical training, work safety, business planning, job cost and computer accounting, and business law, just to name a few possible community college classes. During my 45 plus years in business I spent  tens of thousands for ongoing technical and business training costs, mostly in remote locations. The majority of those costs were for travel and lodging. Sadly, labor and business efficiency plus quality of service sometimes suffered due to lack of timely workforce training.

You may think that not having a community college doesn’t affect you personally. This is true only if you never hire a plumber, electrician, carpenter, general contractor, enter the hospital, take a prescription drug or support local businesses. A better educated workforce provides higher quality services for all Bitter Root consumers.

Today’s young adults will be the future workers and business owners. I have complete confidence they can make their way in life just like I did. But why would I not want to contribute $13.16 per taxable $100K or in my case an estimated $65.80 a year to make their success easier and provide me with higher quality services? This levy ensures locally accessible college classes to increase their income and help ensure business success. Vote for the BVCC levy! To vote against is short sighted and cheap.