My parents were public school teachers in Spokane . I attended public schools, and with a combination of hard work, student loans and family assistance graduated from Dartmouth . I have been an entrepreneur in the technology sector for over a dozen years and I'm currently a full-time father for three young children. I now volunteer a great deal of my time to work with local education, environment, health and human services organizations.

I learned from my parents that there is no institution more vital to the continued success of our democracy than our public schools. My experience with business and philanthropy, has taught me how vital it is for organizations of all sizes to be self-critical, honestly assess what's working well and what's not, and constantly focus on where the greatest impact with limited resources can be made. Private companies have no choice but to do this if they want to survive and public institutions should have the same mandate in order to serve the public justly. More citizens need to become engaged in the effort to improve our schools.

I truly believe our K-12 education system is in crisis, and with taxpayers feeling stretched, and with teachers spending hundreds of dollars per year out of their pockets on basic classroom supplies, it is time that we insist on more accountability and visibility into current expenditures.

It is time for citizens to become more involved making changes that will lead to improvements for both underperforming schools and underperforming students. Involvement starts with understanding where our dollars are currently being spent, and what is being produced. With greater transparency in school finance, parents will be empowered to demand change if needed at the local level.

Education is far too important of an issue to be owned by a single political party. I encourage each citizen, no matter what party you vote with to join us.

Many think that the fundamental problem with the education system is that it is under-funded. The First Class Education for Washington measure will help to provide a framework and spotlight where additional funds are required, how much is enough, and what is currently being funded adequately. With proof that priorities are delivering to promises, calls for increased funding will be better received.

For those who think that solutions are not about the money, but rather performance, this will be an opportunity to spotlight highly successful programs and make suggestions for specific improvements to these.

Setting a goal of having 65 cents of every educational dollar spent in the classroom is the first step in the right direction. It is a stake in the ground that will enhance and accelerate the critical dialogue around spending, what is working, and what is not.

I encourage you to join me in this effort. I welcome your questions and comments and can be reached at 206.652.3300 or bjanssen@firstclasseducation .org .