Sometimes there is a clear choice and this year the bond request is one such decision. $154 million is a big number. But the number is only as big as the challenge. Two separate committees in 2007 and 2013 determined that the same things need to be fixed; archaic science classrooms, cracked tennis courts, dangerous kitchens, leaky ceilings, decrepit sports fields.

When you walk into someone’s home you can tell what they value. This also rings true for someone’s local school. So what kind of school shows who you are? One that houses the disabled students in 25-year-old portables whose ceilings are falling down? How about the school with the worst athletic fields in the Olympic League? Or the one with rats living in the base kitchen?

Our house is not in order but on April 22 you have the power to change that.

We have called Sequim home for 20 years, raised three daughters and watched with pride as they graduated from the Sequim School district and continued on. We as a community have an opportunity to rebuild a broken down, outdated school facility. A yes vote means future generations will be supported by a modern educational system that we can all be proud of for decades to come.

Please join us in voting yes for Sequim schools. A ‘yes’ vote means more than a just a positive outcome for kids. It reflects civic pride, our community’s integrity and a shared vision to all who call this green valley home.

Conn and Virginia O’Neil

Sequim

(O’Neill is a former Sequim School Board director)