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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Many reasons to redo schools

I am a citizen of Otis Orchards, a property owner and I have grandkids in school in East Valley District schools. I am for the bond issue and these are the reasons.

 No. 1, for a number of reasons the educational achievement levels of too many kids is not what it should be. It’s important to improve the system. The district needs a fresh vision, and our leaders, with an impressive amount of research and yes – community outreach – have come up with a realistic plan. It’s not a gold-plated plan but reasonable and what I believe is cost effective.

No. 2, the buildings are aging and in need of upgrades. Costs are rising, and systems are getting harder to maintain, in large part due to age. It’s been 25 years since some buildings have seen significant infrastructure upgrades.

 No. 3, this is a good deal financially. We are going to have to spend money on our schools sooner or later. Now is a very good time to make this investment. The economy is improving. $0.89/$1,000 in property value assessment is going to look a lot better five, 10 or 15 years from now. There is state money set aside now for supplementing school districts that pass bond issues which we won’t get if our bond does not pass.

 We have some great teachers and concerned citizens in our district. Let’s do the right thing for our kids, for our community, and vote yes for this bond.

 Phil Omlor

Otis Orchards