Show Pride and Support Schools

Dear Editor,

Having served on the Facilities Committee for the Dayton School District, I can assure the voters of Columbia County that there isn't a question you've asked yourselves or your neighbors about this project that we did not ask ourselves over the months the Facilities Committee met. The committee, made up of business owners, parents of school-age children, community members, government representatives, and school staff, spent months analyzing drawings and layouts, looking at costs, talking to bond companies, comparing levy rates, and agonizing over doing what's right for both the taxpayers and the kids we're responsible for educating. This isn't about a lack of maintenance - it's about a real fix for the failing systems in our school structures that is the most cost effective over time.

One of the most shocking discoveries I made while serving on this committee was how far behind we've fallen in the collection of bond funds compared to our neighbors. Waitsburg, Pomeroy, Prescott, Walla Walla, College Place - all of our neighboring school districts, with the exception of Dixie and Star­buck, have taxpayer-voted bonds that were used to upgrade their facilities. The taxpayers of Columbia County got a break - during the worst of the recession, they had no school bond on their tax bill. Our school tax rates have been the lowest in the region for years, and it is past time to renovate our school fa­cilities.

This is bad news for our economic develop­ment efforts. We need a healthy downtown, hospital district, and school system in order to attract new businesses and residents to our community. Who would want to live, work, and bring their families here only to send them to a school with falling down buildings? This isn't just about our kids, it's also about our economic future and what kind of message we're sending to people looking to locate here.

The pride our citizens have taken in other community assets - the Depot, the Court­house, the Theater, the Downtown - shows clearly in the way these structures have been restored and maintained, which took substan­tial capital investment.

Where's the pride in our school structures, the ones that house our most precious future assets - our kids - and send a message to exist­ing and potential new residents how much we value our educational system? Let's show that pride and take care of our kids and our school buildings by voting YES for the school bond.

Jennie Dickinson

Dayton