Don’t punish kids: Vote ‘yes’ on bond | Letter

Published 3:06 pm Thursday, March 20, 2014

I moved into the Lake Washington School District (LWSD) the same year the new buildings for Redmond High School (RHS) and Mann Elementary opened. I can understand frustration over these new schools needing portables and additions so early in their life cycles. However, in that same time frame, I’ve watched Education Hill fill up with new houses. The kids in those new houses need schools, too.

Paige A. Norman mentions that Mann Elementary will need portables due to the overflow of Rockwell students. She doesn’t mention that Rockwell has not been modernized or rebuilt, and that Rockwell has borne much more of the brunt of the new developments than has Mann.

Also, since RHS was built, the district changed the alignment of which grades attend high school. The addition at RHS was necessary to accommodate adding ninth-graders, not because of failing to plan for growth.

Housing growth usually happens faster than school capacity growth. I agree that LWSD has not managed the growth as well as we might like, and I’ve taken issue with some of their planning numbers before. However, voting “no” on the bond punishes students and isn’t the most effective means of communicating with the district.

If you want to send a message, talk to your school board and hold them accountable for doing the necessary oversight. Don’t punish kids. Vote “yes” on LWSD’s bond measure.

Sherri Nichols, Redmond