Letter: Say yes to school bond, yes to the future

Published 12:04 pm Saturday, April 9, 2022

As longtime residents, both our kids attended Ocean Beach Schools, and now our grandkids do. We were on the facility committee 23 years ago when some of the north-end naysayers resisted a single campus bond that was to be located on Sandridge Road for $21 million, with the same exact argument. “Community schools” and “it costs too much.” Now is the time to say yes to the future, not live in the past. And here is why.

We do not have “community schools” or “neighborhood schools,” which implies that students will attend a school near where they live. Our population does not live in neighborhoods, next to a school. Instead, they are dispersed between Chinook and Oysterville and in the rural areas in between, which require bus transportation.

In the past, in order to balance class and utilize both elementary schools, the school district set a physical boundary line to determine which elementary school your child would attend. Unfortunately, every year the boundary line would move. The children in the middle were yo-yos, used to balance the grade levels, moving back and forth between elementary schools.

Just so you know, currently, all students for all grades get bused and attend all schools. All K-2 age children are currently bused to Long Beach Elementary from both ends of the peninsula. All 3-5 grade students are currently bused to Ocean Park Elementary. When students enter middle/high school (6-12), they merge grades and go to Ilwaco, where the proposed new campus would be located.

The advantages to having all the students in one location are many. Whether it is an emergency or planning parent- teacher conferences, music and theater programs, sports, or other extracurricular activities, families don’t have to try to juggle different schools and schedules. A shared campus will allow for shared resources, including a flexible staff with continuity of curriculum. Staff could focus on student learning and different needs, fostering more teacher collaboration. Just ask your Naselle neighbors. They love their K-12 schools in one location.

Since the high school was built 50 years ago, technology has literally transformed the world. The high school building is outdated, has numerous safety issues and huge structural deficiencies that will have to be addressed. Let’s build a school that we can all be proud of, a high school that has all the tools and technology our students need to be prepared to compete and thrive in today’s world.

Passing a bond is an opportunity to take advantage of both federal and state dollars, including $5 million from Washington state for the high school. There may be more grants available for other safety issues, broadband, energy upgrades. We would save $500,000 annually in efficiencies in sharing staff, maintenance, grounds and repairs of old buildings with a single campus.

There may not be another chance to take advantage of record low interest rates (0.5% -1%) for the bonds that are available now. Additionally, now 40% of property owners in the OBSD are second home owners and don’t live here, but their property taxes will be contributing to our schools over the course of the bond. That is a huge help and it all adds up.

Being located near the hospital and emergency services is a bonus. Having all our children safe if we have an earthquake or tsunami is an area of concern. But just as important, it would be a community resource during any disaster.

We want to thank the school board and facilities advisory committee for this thoughtful and transparent process. You have worked countless hours, volunteering your time and come up with a good plan.

The reality is that the current model of maintaining four separate school buildings is not sustainable economically. The benefits of a single shared campus located in Ilwaco is the best choice and the benefits to both education and our local economics are tremendous.

The time is now. Yesterday and the “good old days” are gone. Our children are our future. Please vote yes for our schools, and for our community. Vote yes for kids.

JOHN and DEBBIE OAKES

Long Beach