My daughter is in kindergarten at Rock Creek Elementary School.

I’m voting “yes” for Tahoma schools in the April bond election, and I hope you will, too.

Here’s why: The bond is critical because our schools are overcrowded. Maple Valley is an amazing place to live, with great neighborhoods and fantastic schools – and we’re attracting more families all the time. Enrollment studies show Tahoma schools will likely gain another 1,700 students in the next 10 years, but the district is out of room to house them.

Our school sites are nearly all at or above capacity. At the junior high this year, students are attending classes in spaces never meant as classrooms, and throughout the district, classes are held in aging portables that were purchased for $1 decades ago from Kent schools — when they were done with them.

You’re not alone if you haven’t heard about the bond measure yet, but, I encourage you to start reading up on the issues so that you can make an informed decision. To read specific details, please visit www.tahomavote.org or www.tahomasd.us. Or become a fan of “Vote Yes Tahoma Schools” on Facebook.

Supporting the bond will mean your property taxes increase by less than the cost of a cup of coffee per day. Construction costs will only increase if this bond measure is not approved, so, now is the time to move forward.

We need about 2,000 more “yes” votes for this bond than we received in the last school levy election – in which a frightening 72 percent of Tahoma parents did not vote at all. PLEASE: register to vote if you haven’t already. Vote “yes,” and encourage your friends and neighbors to do the same.

Wendy Castleman

Maple Valley