[EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a Letter to the Editor, written and submitted by a verified resident. It represents the opinion of the author, and does not necessarily reflect the views of South King Media or its staff.]
Reasonable people can disagree about school district decisions, but let’s not punish kids for adult disagreements.
In a letter published yesterday, the writer was upset about an administrative decision and an operational issue. We could debate whether her characterizations of district actions are accurate, but that’s not the point. She has her objections and every right to express them.
But these are not reasons to withhold funding for new schools that will make our students safer and better prepared for their future.
Rejecting a school construction bond is not a rational way to address administrative and operational issues. It will only rob students of the opportunity to learn in safer schools that are better equipped for today’s education.
“No for Now” just means “NO” to the students who are sitting in outdated classrooms today. They don’t get a do-over. Our kids need safe, modern schools now. Not sometime in the hypothetical future.
The suggestion to “send the district back to the drawing board” doesn’t make sense. It disregards and disrespects the work of an independent community advisory committee who spent two years studying data and developing the bond plan. These volunteers were not selected by the district. They objectively determined that this is the best plan for students and taxpayers.
There is no “better plan.” There will be a more expensive plan if we kick the can down the road while construction costs escalate. This is not good stewardship of tax dollars.
The only way to obtain funding to build and renovate schools is through a bond approved by local voters. The state provides a small match only after a bond is passed.
If we want to give our students the best opportunity for a promising future, we as a community must set aside our personal and political differences and vote to invest in schools that are built to today’s safety and learning standards.
As a former district employee, now retired, I have seen how modern schools increase student attendance and engagement in learning. Join me in voting YES for Highline students. Vote YES on Prop. 1 and Prop. 2.
– Catherine Carbone Rogers
Des Moines
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