“It is now time for the community to make a decision about how its schools will accommodate current and projected enrollment. The decision is not limited to facilities. Whatever choice the community makes will affect the quality of education for Tahoma students now and in the future.” The 2011 Tahoma Construction and remodeling bond measure pamphlet.

Truer words have not been spoken. Tahoma schools are renowned as some of the best in the state. The district has maintained that high level of quality with increasing student populations, decreasing funds, deteriorating buildings and higher class size.

But at some point that bubble will burst. The people who work for Tahoma schools are not magicians nor are they illusionists. They can’t just make our students do well because we want them to. They need help. They need fewer students in each classroom, they need classrooms that are safe and do not pose health risks because of age. In short, they need more.

How are we expected to compete academically with nearby districts when we don’t get behind our schools and say we are willing to help? How are our students expected to get into great colleges when all their “extras” have been taken away either because of funding or lack of space, when nearby districts provide? How are we expected to compete in sports if we have to go to a split schedule, or worse, a rotating one, where not everyone is in school at the same time?

Sports, foreign languages, art, music and AP classes open doors for students and we shouldn’t be the ones to close them within our own community.

Yes, it comes with a price tag, but one that is well within our own “latte a day” habit, and one that will reap huge rewards as our students go on to do great things.

And, on that same note of money, let’s talk about it. If we choose to spend the money, and make our schools safe, effective and places of excellence, that will translate to a place that people want to live in. It will keep our house values up and our community will thrive.

If we choose to not spend the money, there is no way to know what kind of a downward spiral it could lead to.

Please think long and hard about this bond. I am emphatically voting yes, because I believe in Tahoma, I believe in our students, I believe in the citizens of Maple Valley, and mostly, I believe this is the right thing to do.

Melissa Greenstein

Maple Valley