From now until May 8th, Stevensville and Lone Rock residents will have the opportunity to vote for the future of our community and our children.
Stevensville For Students (a group of parents, grandparents, alumni, current and retired teachers) urges you to vote yes. Our schools are in dire need of repair and upgrades and we believe that our School Board has used a logical and transparent process to select what our schools need for our children to be safe and successful, while understanding our challenging economic environment.
Our schools need safer entrances that are better designed for current safety issues. Our schools need handicapped restrooms. Did you know our Primary and High School buildings do not have ADA accessible toilets or sinks? Our schools need classrooms that will help prepare our children and grandchildren to compete in a competitive world. 1960s chemistry labs and asbestos floor tiles are no longer good enough.
We would love a new gymnasium and performing arts center, but understand why the School Board elected to pass on those projects at this time. We agree that our tennis courts are dangerous and our grandstand should be torn down. Did you know our school busses our track and field team to Corvallis because our facilities are outdated and unsafe?
We know that some in the community are on fixed incomes and that the increase in property tax will impact some more than others. Our schools were built by the Greatest Generation in the decades after World War II and their hard work and sacrifice has served our community well. But we can’t wait any longer to repair and upgrade the facilities they provided us. If we wait any longer, the cost will only increase.
Lastly, we would like to thank the residents and business owners of Stevensville and Lone Rock in their efforts to inform the community on why this vote is so important. We believe that our decision to sacrifice our taxes will benefit multiple generations to come, just like the Greatest Generation did for ours.
Brittany McLaughlin
Stevensville For Students