Plan for future
Parks and pools are easy to overlook when they are working well. A trail is clear. The pool is clean. The lights come on. Kids swim, adults walk, teams practice, and no one gives much thought to how it all happens.
In the Hood River Valley, this quiet work is handled by a small district responsible for a pool built in 1948 and updated in 1996, eight public parks, more than six miles of trails, as well as recreation programs that continue to grow as the community does. The district’s funding, however, has stood still. Its permanent tax rate is unchanged from 1998.
Aging facilities do not stand still. They ask more each year, not less. Repairs come more often. Margins grow thinner.
Planning for Hood River Valley’s future is work that belongs not to any one board or budget, but to a community thinking ahead together.
Kate McBride
Hood River
Statement of support
It’s time.
Washington State’s match of $34 million will never be higher. We all know that our school facilities need repair, renovation and replacement. Safety and security upgrades are an important part of fulfilling our responsibilities as a community to the education of current and future students. By shutting down Whitson Elementary and moving those students to the middle school campus, the district will save approximately $500,000 a year in operation costs. Pushing these issues off into some future time only increases the likelihood of bigger expenses and potential negative impacts.
It’s time.
A good education is vital to a successful career, whether it’s professional or trade-related. To keep up with innovations in technologies, we need to update our facilities. Our schools reflect who we are as a community. Whether you are a third generation Gorge family, a new arrival, or a retired person with no future kids in sight, the current and coming generations deserve the same best chance to succeed as we have had.
It’s time.
We all know that our schools are old and need replacing and upgrading. We all know that it is the responsibility of our community to support current and future students, and to make sure they get the best possible preparation to have a successful life. We are so fortunate to live in this great community. Let’s do the right thing.
Let’s pass this bond.
Heather Weisfield
White Salmon
Yes to Props 1-2
I have been so impressed with the hard work of the White Salmon Valley School District’s (WSVSD) transparent leadership, hardworking facilities staff, and the community-led effort to address issues caused by our outdated school facilities. The vision put forth in our school’s upcoming levy and bond measures is a smart, sustainable solution and ensures that our young people will have access to a quality education for generations.
As a mom of WSVSD students, I have heard for years about the leaking roofs, the classrooms without heat, and the unsettled feeling that our divided campuses just don’t feel safe. The time to address this is way overdue. If the proposed measures pass, our schools will be eligible to receive increased funding from the state that better leverages our local dollars to fix and replace our failing buildings. This saves us money in the long run and creates a school environment that is supportive of our staff and keeps students engaged.
Our schools are the heart of our community. They are a place where young people go to learn, build relationships, access food and other resources, and gain skills needed for their future. In our small town, they are also a space where people of all ages gather to solve problems, grieve our shared losses, celebrate the wins, and connect. Our kids and staff spend more than 6,300 hours per year at school. What this place is like matters. They matter. Please join me in voting for our kids, our schools and our futures and vote yes Propositions 1 and 2 this February.
Rita Pinchot
White Salmon
Vote yes
I am writing to encourage those in the White Salmon Valley School District (WSVSD) to vote YES on the upcoming bond and levy ballot arriving in mailboxes this week.
Over the past few months, I — along with other community members and artists — have had the opportunity to work inside WPSIS, the intermediate school in White Salmon, creating an arts integration program funded in part by Arts in Education of the Gorge. It has been an incredibly enriching experience for both the students and for us, and we are grateful to be given space in the school for this ongoing program in the coming year.
As a parent with children in White Salmon public schools, I have spent time in our school facilities before, but this experience has been a more sustained presence inside the building. Within the first week, ceiling tiles fell down on us in the room where we were teaching, there was no access to hot water at the sink needed for our cooking station, and we experienced the horrible smell of overheating from the wall heaters or, worse, no heat at all. These are not abstract concerns — this is a snippet of the daily realities of these aging facilities, and they point to issues that go far beyond my limited experience in there as a part time visitor.
The teachers and administrators in our schools are doing an incredible job caring for and educating our children through the many challenges education faces today. I have been in awe of public educators in my years of being a parent in WSVSD schools, and their commitment despite everything they have to deal with.
Even if you don’t currently have children in the school system — or your children are grown — this vote still matters. A supported school ecosystem creates a healthier, more connected community — one that benefits all of us, both now and in the years ahead. Vote YES and drop off that ballot.
Erin Erickson
White Salmon
Hit the wall
The wall has been “hit.” Our once-upon-a-time allies have stopped kissing the ring. World order is in question. All because the “man child” president wants the most possessions that he can brand with his name. Why would anyone want to own Greenland when we have all of its benefits already? Reminds me of the phrase “why buy the cow when you get the milk for free?” Is it because he wants his legacy to be expanding the United States?
And, remember when Trump envisioned a new Mediterranean riviera on the shores of Gaza? He didn’t know where; but, he would ship the Palestinians out and put up his resort. Keep this in mind! He’s all about possessions.
Malignant narcissism is destroying democracy in America. Trump and his gang of extortionists have got to go. And soon! Vote in the mid-term elections. My greatest fear is Trump will imagine some questionable reason to declare martial law and suspend elections. He has said he will be impeached if Republicans lose the mid-terms. We must not take his bait and give him cause.
It is time for this man who denies reality to leave office. His cognitive ability is clearly declining. It deeply concerns me that he is bringing our nation dangerously close to war with our once allied nations.
Carol Earl
The Dalles
Longterm solution needed
The White Salmon District has four schools; all of them have some level of system failure, along with other issues. Areas of concern: HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and the roof. The Whitson Elementary school building is “at the end of its useful life.” The bond proposal is a culmination of years of planning and community work. It would fix longstanding issues that have been band-aided and provide a longterm solution. Renovation is proposed, mostly utilizing what we have and limiting new construction. The time for can kicking is over.
The proposed bond will:
• Save $500,000/year in labor, maintenance, transportation and utilities by moving Whitson Elementary
• Replace the failing building systems with one bond rather than having to go back to voters for band-aids as systems continue to fail
• Leverage $34 million in state funds that is available now
• Add new classrooms and amenities that will save maintenance and labor over time
Check out the many other benefits at wsvsd.org/o/wsvsd/page/bond-levy.
I have two boys (eighth grade and sophomore) who have been in White Salmon schools since kindergarten. I volunteer in the schools and see how dilapidated they are. This bond will increase my tax burden, but I recognize that it will save money in the long run by cutting inefficiencies and taking advantage of available funding. In my experience, construction costs only increase with time. I hope you join me in voting yes on Proposition 1 and 2.
The additional cost to you can be calculated by (Assessed Value) x ($1.22) / $1,000= value/12; see www.klickitatcountytreasurer.org.
Anne Medenbach
White Salmon
‘Reasonable request’
A quote by Tehyi Hsieh, an educator and writer, hangs on a bulletin board in the Whitson staff room. It says, “The schools of our country are its future in miniature.” Given the dilapidated state of Whitson Elementary and other district buildings, this is not reassuring.
Within the next week, voters in the White Salmon School District will receive a ballot to vote for two funding measures. Proposition 1 is a bond that will allow us to get an extra $34 million from the state to update our schools and create a unified campus. This plan utilizes several of our existing buildings and takes advantage of higher state funding formulas that will disappear after this year. Proposition 2 is a levy to renew what we’ve already been paying.
Research shows that modernized facilities improve student academic performance, attendance and overall well-being. Buildings with good air quality, lighting and a sense of safety directly support student learning.
I am a teacher in the district and also a parent of three student athletes. When we travel to other public schools in our conference, players on our team, and parents, often marvel at how modern their schools are. Students in our schools are our future decision makers and voters. Voting “yes” for these propositions is a vote to tell them they are a valued priority. Let’s give our kids a school they can be proud of in front of visiting teams and as graduates of White Salmon.
My fourth grade students have some pretty wild ideas for campus improvements, like large trampolines in every classroom and milkshake dispensers in the hallways. While these ideas are a bit Willy Wonka-ish and are definitely not included in the future plan, heaters that don’t catch on fire and enclosed, safer campuses are a reasonable request.
This district has always been careful about not asking voters for more than we absolutely need. Please, get your ballots, vote yes and turn them in no later than Feb. 10. Please encourage your friends and family to do the same. Our stronger future community will thank you.
Becky Williams
White Salmon
Hypocrisy
In rebuttal to “Evidence” (Your Voice, Jan. 21): We don’t get to cherry pick only the rights we agree with in the Constitution. The rule of law and due process are our guiding light. The Constitution is a living document, open to debate and refinement, but not at gunpoint. This current administration wipes their collective butts on The Constitution every freaking day.
Far right extremists have been harping for years that liberals are “gonna take your guns.” I want everyone to imagine if Mr. Obama had directed masked federal goons to terrorize citizens by confiscating every gun held in private hands. Imagine what would happen if the government chose to shut down all the churches, mosques and synagogues. Imagine if the government instituted a “one child” law, forcing women to have abortions.
I don’t have to imagine. On Jan. 6, heavily armed, they attacked the capital. And yet, this administration would have us disbelieve our own eyes and consider these traitors as heroes. Those violent insurrectionists killed and injured numerous law enforcement officers. Surviving capital police officers were not only bodily injured, they were wounded to their very souls. Are they not the same law enforcement the right is so concerned about?
The left has the Portland frog, soccer moms, whistles, care circles and fireworks, and far right extremists would have the public believe that they are a threat to America. The hypocrisy is mind-boggling!
I don’t know what video the letter writer watched. I watched a variety of video from numerous sources. Renee Good was smiling and letting the ICE agent know she was not “mad at him.” Renee Good was then murdered and called a “f— b —” by that same federal agent.
The letter writer should save his indignation of peaceful protesters and his concern for those poor, under-trained, overpaid, defenseless ICE and CBP (Customs and Border Protection) agents. Instead, he should show some respect for the many capital police killed and injured by the Jan. 6 insurrectionists.
Debra Lutje
The Dalles
Voting no
I support local schools, and I’ll be voting no on the Prop 1 bond to raise $77 million from the community to renovate and replace existing school buildings. Why? To start, the WSVSD is a small (and shrinking) school district in a very small community with a major housing shortage, and should be making every effort to offset costs by selling Whitson and scaling back the existing almost 80 acre campus which is overwhelmingly comprised of sports fields and parking lots. Build classrooms? Yes! New sports facilities? No! Safety and security improvements? Yes! “Collaborative learning spaces” and technology integration? No! As an IT professional who has worked for several schools, I know that “technology integration” actually means wasting tight funds on extra expensive do-dads with reoccurring costs that sit idle a majority of the time (when not malfunctioning). Does the modern student really need more tech pollution in their school day? I doubt it. I would urge a NO on this bond, and then urge the WSVSD to come back with a right-sized, common sense proposal that meets the critical learning needs of students, including a willingness to sell off unnecessary property to finance what they actually feel is necessary. No fancy tech, no special programs, no hang-spaces, no new sports facilities. This whole proposal reads like a maximum ask ($111,000,000!!!) with no concessions ... WSVSD can do better. To quote the 1993 movie, The Sandlot … “You’re killing me, Smalls!”
Brian Mattingly
Bingen
Fraud
The Coward and Thief is a fraud! He is a racist with narcissistic personality disorder obsessed with center stage. Fraud is the vehicle he and his acolytes use to remake the world order. His fraud is prevalent throughout his life and includes putting his name on the Kennedy Center, extorting many wealthy and connected people to turn the White House into Trump Palace, receiving a 747 bribe from Qatar, using the United Arab Emirates as his banker for oil money, accepting bribes, extrajudicial killings, stealing Venezuelan oil and disguising it as drug enforcement, and extorting the Nobel Peace medallion from Maria Machado. He has the blue ribbon — he did not win the spelling bee!
The Thief consorted with Vladimir Putin in the 2016 election. The Mueller Report indicted 23 Russian operatives, reporting they “… disparaged Clinton provoking and amplifying discord …” The report did not exonerate Trump of Russian collusion. On June 29, 2019, Trump and Putin met for over an hour with only a Russian supplied interpretor present. Putin can speak English well. Trump is not fluent in English, and he only knows one ASL gesture for emotional age and cognitive IQ. This collusion is clear with Trump’s acquiescence to Putin’s war. I think we’ll learn much about Putin-Trump election fraud and entanglements as history unfolds.
Now, the Thief focuses on Greenland. He claims owning Greenland is essential to U. S. security. It is not military and mineral rights because they are already available to U. S. by a treaty.
Norway, Sweden, Finland, Canada, and Greenland buffer the U. S. from Russia. However, Greenland is between the United States and European NATO countries. Trump’s collusion with Putin to have Greenland executes Russia’s plan to surround NATO. Trump on the west. Saudia Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, and Trump’s twin, Netanyahu’s Israel, have the European NATO southern flank. Russia controls the European NATO east.
Next to hang on Trump’s gelded office wall is a painting of General Benedict Arnold. The Coward and Thief will rewrite Revolutionary war history making Benedict Arnold the hero, when the 2016 Trump-Putin plan encircles and diminishes NATO.
Terry Armentrout
The Dalles
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