Why I support the school levy and bond
While touring Sequim’s school buildings last week I flashed on the scene of Dorothy, the Tin Man, and the Scarecrow walking through the dark forest, getting scared, and beginning to chant, “Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!”
Last week my chant was “Galvanized pipes and plugged storm drains and ancient electrical transformers, oh my!”
This was a sample of what I learned on my tour. Many of the school buildings, built in the 1960s and 1970s, don’t meet current ADA, safety and security standards and require major remodels, major repairs and possible replacements within 5 years. Many pieces of equipment that break – pumps, transformers, heaters – can only be found on eBay, if at all. And fixing these problems with major remodels will cost 1.6 to 1.8 times the cost compared to new construction. Like I said, oh my!
Our children are amazing. Our teachers and staff, the best. They and our community deserve better. We have a once in a generation opportunity to fix these problems by supporting the February 11th Construction Bond vote and its sister Education Levy – all at an affordable cost. Passing both will cost less than what I was paying in 2020 for school property taxes. And in today’s dollars, passage will cost less than $23 per month more for the average homeowner (median home value of $470,000). I consider this to be a critical investment in our community and I’m voting YES.
Dale Jarvis
Sequim