Good public schools are a part of the Spokane Valley’s identity. They’re a reason the Valley keeps attracting new homes, and desirable employers like Egghead Software. But for Valley schools to keep their reputation, they have to be expanded.

On Tuesday, voters in all three Valley school districts will consider bond issues to cover classroom additions and building renovations that are needed to catch up with the Valley’s rapid population growth.

In a few previous elections, Valley voters rejected school expansion plans. Now, with guidance from neighborhood citizen committees, administrators have scaled back the proposals. Meanwhile, the need has grown. Strained old wiring recently caused an expensive electrical fire at Trent Elementary, slated for renovation. In West Valley’s crammed elementaries, locker rooms house counselors and music classes. In growth areas like Liberty Lake, hundreds of children spend up to 1-1/2 hours a day on the bus, for lack of a neighborhood school the bonds would construct.

It’s time the Valley takes responsibility for its young people and its promising economic future, as residents did in decades past. We urge a resounding “yes” for schools, in all three districts.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = John Webster/For the editorial board