Students deserve a Yes vote on R-52

I don’t know about you, but my ballot had so many bubbles to fill in, it reminded me of a standardized test. I’m glad I had a clear head, an evenly heated townhouse, and clean air to breathe while I filled them in. But too many Washington students have to face tests and classroom learning under building conditions that promote lack of focus, lethargy, and debilitating respiratory disease. And too many districts are forced to devote much of their budget to maintenance, to the detriment of education. R-52 provides a great solution. It authorizes state bonds to be distributed to school districts under a competitive grant process, reserving 5 percent for small districts. Schools can use the money to remove dangerous toxins like lead, mold, and asbestos, and conduct energy-saving retrofits like lighting and HVAC overhauls.

October 28, 2010 5:34 pm

I don’t know about you, but my ballot had so many bubbles to fill in, it reminded me of a standardized test.

I’m glad I had a clear head, an evenly heated townhouse, and clean air to breathe while I filled them in. But too many Washington students have to face tests and classroom learning under building conditions that promote lack of focus, lethargy, and debilitating respiratory disease. And too many districts are forced to devote much of their budget to maintenance, to the detriment of education.

R-52 provides a great solution. It authorizes state bonds to be distributed to school districts under a competitive grant process, reserving 5 percent for small districts. Schools can use the money to remove dangerous toxins like lead, mold, and asbestos, and conduct energy-saving retrofits like lighting and HVAC overhauls.

Only those projects that are guaranteed to pay for themselves through energy cost savings can qualify. Taxpayers save money long-term by decreasing maintenance and new building costs, and districts can put their money where our kids really need it – towards education.

Give Washington students the learning environments they deserve. Approve Referendum 52!

Tony Peacock, Newcastle