As a homeowner in Redmond, I’m very aware of property tax rates. I also know it is a tough time for many in our community. Budgets are tight in many households.
That’s why, as a member of the Board of Directors of Lake Washington School District (LWSD), I can assure you that we would not ask our community for funding if it was not truly needed.
The good news is that despite the downturn in the real estate market, families are attracted to our district. Good schools in good buildings have brought in more families and more kids, whether it is infill development in Kirkland or larger developments in Redmond and Sammamish.
We risk discouraging families who want to find homes in our district if we have to institute the choices that remain if this levy does not pass. We could change boundaries and bus students from the east side of the district to the west, but that would only help for a couple of years. Continuing increases in student population will fill all of our schools within a few years. Changing boundaries also calls into question the assumptions that home buyers have about which schools their students will attend.
Another option, using bond money that has been promised for school modernization, also calls into question the board’s promises to voters. Specific communities have been promised an updated facility that meets the needs of the current educational specification. If we set the precedent of asking voters for money for one purpose and then changing that purpose without their permission, how can we ask voters to trust us in the future? How can communities trust that the district will do what it promises?
The third option for handling this issue, having students attend school during two different shifts, would certainly be a detraction for potential homebuyers in Redmond and Sammamish who have children in junior high and high school.
I urge you to vote yes for the district’s levy that is currently on the ballot. It is truly needed to solve our short-term overcrowding issues.
Ravi Shahani,Vice-President, Lake Washington School District Board of Directors
