Imagine what a Bond investment could do for our community’s students.
We’ve heard from many in our community about the various economic reasons to support or oppose the upcoming vote on the USD 489 Bond. We wanted to take a moment of your time to provide the perspective of educators in USD 489.
We have the immense privilege of spending most of our days during the school year with the children of our community. It is not lost on us what an incredible responsibility it is to be entrusted with other peoples’ children and their education. We also know how fortunate we are to live in a community that has done its utmost to provide the best educational opportunities possible to children and families in both the public and private realms. Right now, it is no different. This Bond proposal is asking us to invest in maintaining our ability to provide the best educational experiences we can. All investments come at a cost, which must be weighed against the return. Here is how we see the return on our investment beyond the economic impacts discussed by so many prior editorials.
Imagine the first day of school: students walking into the same buildings across our town that their parents, grandparents, or even great-grandparents attended. The flood of sentimental feelings and excitement fill us on those first days of school. Now, imagine that same scene a few years into the future after a successful Bond measure. The kids are going into buildings our community invested in, that are designed for them, so they can create and carve out a legacy upon which we laid the foundation.
Think about children sitting in one of our classrooms today, with our amazing teachers being successful, despite our space limitations. Now, imagine them in a new classroom experiencing creative, hands-on, and collaborative learning because we made sure that classroom space was built for their 21st-century learning needs. For example, science labs created large enough so that students are safely spread out while working hands on with new materials. CTE classrooms designed to allow more students to enroll in career-focused classes that can help them after graduation. An auditorium constructed that will allow for our students to present, create, and share with our community. Education is about more than “reading, writing, and arithmetic,” and our students deserve a space to learn and grow in ways that will benefit not only themselves, but also our general public.
Think about children who can’t access a safe storm shelter in our buildings without adults carrying them up and down a flight of stairs. Or what about students who only have one bathroom in the building that can accommodate their needs, but they can’t open the door by themselves. We have the power to restore their dignity, peace of mind, and unfettered access to everything their peers have available to them.
This is the future we can invest in on May 10th. This Bond proposal addresses our current and future needs. We have said from the beginning of the process, we need to do it right with an eye toward the future, and we need to do it now. Nothing worth doing is ever easy and without sacrifice, but this will be worth it.
Sincerely,
Abby Gillan, Allison Kitchen, Marie Henderson, Jayme Goetz, Luke Lundmark, Tony Crough, Cole Cherryholmes, Alex Underwood, Tracy Archer, Mindi Dreiling, Kyle Hadley, Adam Goetz, Lisa Renz, Peyton Morlan, Matt Rome, Sydney Niernberger, Troy Dale, Bruce Rupp, Aly Reed, Sarah Mackey, Peyton Ostmeyer, Erika Norris, Michelle Callahan, Pam Grizzell, Kate Hughes, Kristy Oborny, Michele Brungardt, Leslie Karlin, Julie Brown, Jessie Groff, Madison Henningsen, Nicole Lind, Nicole Linenberger, Kelly Ackerman, Jolene Windholz, Lacy Bruggeman, Jenny Klaus, Jaici Simon, Katelyn Schmidt, Jennifer Grabbe, Julie Zollinger, Laura Gaughn, Chris Sramek, Devann Fisher, Jerry Braun, Jessica Schwien, Melissa Treinen, Alicia Brungardt, Jessica Clingan, Jessica Dale, Krista Brooks, Jessica Augustine, Jamie Wolbert, Jolene Vitztum, Tasha Lang, Patty Maldonado, Ashley Taylor, Mary Befort, Lynn Zimmerman, Dayna Crawford, Jennifer Olt, Amy Wasinger, Kay Shippy, Sarah Doerfler, Deaira Lesage, Jenny Price, Keri Peterson, Jody Dinkel, Daphne Brown, Sarah Smith, Cheryl Shepherd-Adams, Katelyn Gannon, Kaleigh Wentworth, Betsy Fornash, Dan Dickerson, Kenda Leiker, Valerie Colip, Ashley Butler, Amber Binder, Kathy Wagoner, Lora Gallegos-Haynes, Tina Shepherd, Shawn Henderson, Kayla Brown, Erin Ray, Jerold Harris, Dan Balman, Suellyn Stenger, Rebecca Kuehl, Beth Simon, Alex Hutchins, Anita Scheve, Becky Hickert, Rene Burns, Brooke Nuss, Shauna Zweifel, Luann Stephen, Bryan Zollinger, Matt Whitney