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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Parts of Normal Neighborhood Plan approved ... Pacific fisher sculpture dedicated in Ashland ... Techtoberfest has high-tech speakers and exhibits ... Parts of Normal Neighborhood Plan approved ... Pacific fisher sculpture dedicated in Ashland ... Techtoberfest has high-tech speakers and exhibits ... ASHLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT Levy backers eye final push Supporters planned to go door to door Sunday Comment By Joe Zavala for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Joe Zavala for the Mail Tribune Posted May. 1, 2015 at 12:01 AM Updated May 1, 2015 at 12:44 PM By Joe Zavala for the Mail Tribune Posted May. 1, 2015 at 12:01 AM Updated May 1, 2015 at 12:44 PM What do you think? --> Have an opinion on this issue? Send a letter to the editor at www.dailytidings.com/sendletter. » Read more X What do you think? Have an opinion on this issue? Send a letter to the editor at www.dailytidings.com/sendletter . » Social News Ashland residents who heard an unexpected knock on their door Sunday afternoon were greeted by an Ashland High School student seeking support for the Youth Activities and Academics Levy (YAAL). Volunteers aimed to spread the word on Measure 15-134, the five-year local option tax levy that’s up for renewal on the May 19 ballot, making what they hope would be their final campaign push. If passed, the levy will require residential property owners within the district’s boundaries to pay $1.29 for every $1,000 of the assessed value of their home annually. First passed in 1994, the levy provides roughly 10 percent of Ashland School District’s annual general fund revenue — that was $2.6 million for the 2014-15 school year. Jackson County ballots were mailed out Friday. Those who do not receive their ballot by Thursday are urged to contact the elections office (541-776-6148). Voter registration cards can be submitted online at oregonvotes.gov . The YAAL committee, based in part in population density, targeted specific sections of Ashland. YAAL committee chairperson Leslie Gore said she hoped for a crew of 75 to 100 to hit the pavement. “I feel good,” Gore said. “I think there’s going to be a big push. We’ve got a lot of students interested in helping out with that, and mostly the conversation around me has been very positive." The YAAL campaign received an unexpected boost from Gore’s son, Kip Parowski, an Ashland High freshman who’s recruited friends to help with the campaign. A soccer player, Parowski and many of his friends have benefited from the levy, which covers most of the costs associated with team sports, eliminating the need for the pay-to-play model adopted by most Oregon schools. The hope, Gore said, is that the students’ personal experiences will illustrate the levy’s benefits to the community and that their presence will help associate YAAL with real faces. “We will have literature for people to pass out or leave on doors if there’s no answer,” Gore said, “but we’re hoping to create that personal connection as much as possible … We’ve got people lined up but we’re still asking people interested to come join us. The more the better.” The YAAL committee kicked off its campaign by authoring two arguments in favor of the levy that will appear in the voter’s pamphlet — one written by school board member John Williams and one co-written by former ASD superintendent Julie Di Chiro and former Ashland Schools Foundation President Maylee Oddo. Then, last Saturday, about 20 volunteers put up about 300 lawn signs throughout Ashland. The design of the signs is simple. It reads “Say Yes” in large type over a smaller inscription which reads, “Youth Activities and Academics Levy.” “It was a coordinated effort with the Ashland Schools Foundation to help us identify people who were willing to have these signs on their lawn,” said Williams, who helped by distributing signs between East Main Street and Hersey Street. “So we first spent a couple weeks getting together a list, and then we just divided the city up into regions and had people go out and put signs up. It was all done in about two hours.” Williams said that even though the levy has passed each time it’s come up for renewal, it’s never a slam dunk given the five-year gap between elections — enough time for shifting demographics to alter the voting landscape. He has other concerns, too. “I think one problem is that May elections do not usually have very much participation,” Williams said. “So I think now we have a challenge to get the message out to voters that the YAAL is 10 percent of the school district’s budget — that’s the critical piece. That’s essentially the equivalent of all the teachers at two of our elementary schools, over 35 teachers.” Williams’ argument in favor of the levy also touts the district’s high SAT scores, Ashland High’s Silver Award from U.S. News & World Report and high extracurricular participation rates. According to the district, roughly 50 percent of Ashland High students participate in a sport and the same ratio of Ashland Middle School students participate in music. Ashland’s ballot drop-off location is the Ashland Library, 410 Siskiyou Blvd. By Joe Zavala for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Joe Zavala for the Mail Tribune Posted May. 1, 2015 at 12:01 AM Updated May 1, 2015 at 12:44 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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