Letter to the Editor: Hamilton McCulloh
Vote YES for our Schools
I was invited to join dozens in our community last fall to serve on the Issaquah School District’s Capital Bond Feasibility & Development Committee. I was the representative for Sunset Elementary. I am glad I accepted the invitation as it provided me with insight into the years of thoughtful decision making that go into this process. We are very fortunate to have intelligent and passionate leadership in our schools and our community. Our committee asked many tough questions regarding the timing, the economy, and the need. After much debate it was agreed this was the time and there was the need. In fact, this is the best time given our district’s strong AAA rating, low interest rates and low construction costs.
Like a lot of families we moved to Issaquah for the schools and we have not been disappointed. As with anything else, school buildings require ongoing capital investments to maintain and improve safety, capacity and efficiency.
I encourage you to vote YES for the school bond on your April 17th mail-in ballot. Your support will make it possible to rebuild our oldest schools, take care of critical maintenance and repair projects across the district and put more money back into the classrooms. The new buildings will be about 30% more efficient with their utility costs and emergency repairs come directly out of our district’s operating budget if not included in a maintenance bond. It is also important to understand the bond is structured so that our property taxes will actually decrease. The owner of a $500,000 home will pay about $215 less each year then they are paying now.
Our students, teachers and volunteers are a great source of pride. Recent bonds have built new schools, replaced old schools and improved the behind-the-scenes operations of every other school. We can’t take our schools for granted and we can’t take this vote for granted. For more information visit www.visvote.org and please vote YES.
Hamilton McCulloh, Issaquah, Wash.