A few months ago our Kiwanis group had the opportunity to tour the middle school and high school to see the physical conditions of these buildings.

• We saw the damage from the leaking roofs and walls.
• We saw cords jerry rigged dangerously across classroom floors.
• We saw a math class attempting to be taught on the gym stage between bouncing balls off the shared gym wall and the old heater coming on with the roar of an airplane taking off.
• We saw another class being held in the high school library so the library had to be closed for student use.

The student population bulge is definitely at the high school. How long are we going to have the district just put a band aid on these situations? As we know, if we ignore problems with our own home maintenance, it often will cost us much more down the road.

The Maintenance and Operations levy which the voters passed on Feb. 3 are replacement levy funds that provide support for school buses, instructional materials, special education, gifted programs, staff development, general maintenance and the replacement of some outdated textbooks and technology. It was not written to correct the issues below.

The Bond that did not pass was written to address the issues listed below as well as fund new and major remodeling construction projects. The School Board has pledged to collect ONLY that portion of the Capital Levy required to complete the work as listed below. It is a short-term (4 Year) levy of 49 cents per $1,000 assessed property value.

Thank you for your consideration.
Mary Jo and Gordy Monten

Proudly paid for by Citizens for North Mason Schools