A crucial vote for all taxpayers within the Sequim School District will be on the upcoming ballot. The word “crucial” is apropos because it addresses an issue that impacts each and every citizen.

As a successful product of a school district in the poorest county in Minnesota I directly benefited from taxpayers support for my education, which included a safe learning environment with the infrastructure necessary to maximize my education. My subsequent career allowed me, through increased taxes, to pay back those education-minded adults. Now it is time for me to support the generations who follow.

I encourage each voter to perform their own rigorous investigation by attending informational meetings and asking questions directly of those who have the actual facts. The school district has performed appropriate due diligence including evaluation by an independent citizen advisory panel that identified several key needs, which were very similar to the needs identified back in 2008. The school board carefully reviewed and modified the recommendations while ensuring the project addressed the key needs identified by the citizen advisory board. Will the monetary sacrifice be felt by all taxpayers? Certainly the answer to that question is “yes”.

I strongly believe the monetary investment will have a positive return over the long-term as my own story highlights the benefits of providing a good public education to our youth. In the short-term the new construction and upgrades will reduce current and ever increasing maintenance costs and will provide a safe and secure school environment.

Vicky A. Blakesley

Sequim