Health & Fitness
Bus Cake and School Levies
Edina supports its kids in many ways, but backing school levies is maybe the most critical aid the community gives. Vote to approve the capital and technology levies on Nov. 8, 2011.
"Bus cake!" the flier in our mailbox read, shortly after we moved into our Edina home. Not knowing what to expect, but eager to meet our new neighbors, we walked down the block with our two kids on the appointed Monday before school resumed. We discovered a neighborhood back-to-school tradition.
A much-loved neighbor bakes an orange cake (or two) in the shape of a school bus and invites the neighborhood to celebrate the start of a new school year. Parents come with their school-age children, who pose for an annual photo. "Bus cake" showed us the strong community support in Edina for kids.
I see Edina caring for its kids in so many ways. It's the residents who gladly purchase gift wrap, Girl Scout cookies, Boy Scout popcorn and wreathes, peaches and magazine subscriptions to fund academic and extracurricular activities. I find it in the neighbor who volunteers her daughter to look out for my son on his first middle school bus ride.
Find out what's happening in Edinafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Edina's dedication to children is reflected in hands-on parenting: running 1st grade math games, leading Scout troops, coaching myriad sports teams, helping out at the elementary carnival, providing staff luncheons and planning the Senior Party. I also observe Edina's love for kids in the multiple generations cheering young Hornets at sports events throughout the city. Perhaps most importantly, Edina shows its devotion to our kids and their future by supporting school referenda.
This year, the district asks voters to renew the current operating levy, which annually gives our schools $3 million or $400 per student. Further, the district seeks to invest in technology growth and integration by increasing the capital levy from $1 million to $4.5 million annually.
Find out what's happening in Edinafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Edina's technology budget lags woefully behind neighboring communities. While Hopkins and Eden Prairie spend $719 and $637 respectively per student on technology, Edina spends a meager $122 per learner. I am proud to live in a community that highly values its youngest members. On Nov. 8, 2011, translate your values into action by voting for the two school levy requests. You may also want to try bus cake in your neighborhood!
