Here’s the deal: Our schools are full!  Look around and see the construction beginning; have you seen the 40 acres of trees that have been clear cut out in Ravensdale?  My gut tells me it isn’t a shopping center, but new homes with more students.

Remember, we are full. Where are the kids going to go? More portables are not a possibility because we don’t have room for them.  What about multitrack? Some believe it’s not really the worst option. However not all schools will go on the same track and a household with multiple students might end up on different schedules, which makes vacations and other family activities difficult or impossible to enjoy together.

Have you experienced walking into a 40-year-old portable? Many of them came to us from Kent schools, which surplused them decades ago. They stink, the floors are uneven, they creak and need to be thrown away! The quality of learning is compromised because many students spend much of their time balancing their desks instead of focusing on learning.

Do you care that we are asking our children to spend 60 percent of their day in rooms that we wouldn’t want to be in?

Did you know that Lake Wilderness Elementary has windows that do not open?  Its heating system works best in the summer. The plumbing is falling apart — just ask the students who come in on a daily basis to report the sink is leaking, the toilet is overflowing.  The rooms are either too hot or too cold, because the piping and electrical systems are so old and there are no windows for fresh air.

These are our kids, our future and our responsibility and they deserve better.  Please vote yes!

Barbara Roessler

Ravensdale