Please vote “yes” on the ESD bond measure.

This is the fourth time that the community has been asked to vote on a bond for Byron Kibler Elementary. I truly hope that there does not have to be a fifth.

Kibler is quite literally falling apart and the longer we wait not only the worse it will get for students but the higher the cost will be for taxpayers. In the U.S. a school building begins rapid deterioration after 40 years and after 60 years most schools are abandoned.

Kibler has far exceeded both of those numbers. This is not about what could have been done better by ways of maintenance but rather that the building has been used past the point of its lifespan. Thousands of children have walked those halls, and it is time to give both students and staff a safe and functional building. T

he community was asked what they would be willing to vote for on a bond measure and after surveying it was found that a standalone Kibler/Birth to Five Center would be what people were willing to vote for at this time. The board listened and while I know some were pained not to include a school at Ten Trails, they did what the public asked and only put out what voters said they would be okay with.

This does not mean however that the current board does not see the need for a school at Ten Trails. With the imminent sale of the land owned by Palmer Coking Coal that is surely set to be many more homes, Enumclaw School District will absorb those students as well.

The numbers of enrollment are not slowing contrary to what some school board candidates are saying.

So, while it is important to not only vote “yes” on the current bond measure it is equally important to vote for the school board candidates that see the big picture and that are willing to support a school for the Black Diamond community. Both Scott Mason and Tyson Gamblin see the growth and understand that children of Black Diamond should not be being bused over to Westwood as a permanent solution.

If their opponents do not even support the Kibler bond they most certainly won’t be putting forward a bond for Black Diamond. While this bond is about a new school it is also about safety and security. I can safely say both parents, teachers and community members alike understand the importance of security.

This bond will ensure that all of our schools will be equipped with resources necessary to keep our children and staff safe. It is fiscally responsible to vote Yes on this bond. The need is not going away but the longer we wait the higher the cost becomes. It is time to stop looking back and look forward to how we can best serve our students now and the many students to come.

Jennifer Wallin

Enumclaw