I am writing as a parent of children who attend both Long Beach Elementary and Ocean Park Elementary Schools. I am also a graduate of Ilwaco High School and was a student of our district from kindergarten until graduation. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to vote yes for a school bond that will create one campus for all of our students.

Having both of my children on the same campus would make us all feel more comfortable. It would help me attend their school conferences and events without splitting between two schools on opposite ends of the peninsula. Transportation would also be so much more convenient. Tsunami safety is a concern of mine and if they were both attending school in a building on higher ground in Ilwaco, my fears would be less. The prospect of a tsunami here is not a matter of if but when. The idea of not doing anything to help better prepare and protect our students is absurd. How is it possible to care more about a building than the students and staff inside of it?

As many community members know, the demographic and location of our students is not the same that it once was. We no longer send students to elementary school based on the location of their home. Long Beach Elementary is too small to host the entire south end of the peninsula’s students and Ocean Park Elementary would have empty classrooms if we only served students that lived on the north end. The boundary line would be in Long Beach if we tried to divide students equally between the two buildings based on their home address. This was a huge factor when the school district decided to reconfigure and merge the grades together.

All of the students in kindergarten through 2nd grade are attending Long Beach while all of the students that are in grades 3-5 attend Ocean Park. When this option was originally proposed, I was adamantly against it. I have lived on the south end of the peninsula for most of my life and continue to do so today. I wanted my children to stay in Long Beach for as long as possible and to keep the community school style that I experienced as a child. After attending multiple meetings as a board member, listening to input from parents and staff, and seeing the benefits that team teaching and equity would create, I ultimately voted yes and believe it was the right decision. All students now have access to the same resources and there is no longer an educational divide between the Ocean Park kids and the Long Beach kids. The students do not see themselves as north vs south. Why do the adults? One campus will create opportunities that our students have never experienced before. They deserve more than the status quo!

It is time to let go of the idea of community schools that have been passed on for generations. Maintaining four buildings for a district of our size is not a sustainable plan. I am grateful to the hard work the Facilities Committee has done to assess the needs of our district. Bonds are incredibly hard to pass but I do have hope that we can pass this bond to create a brighter future for our staff and students. Our community is only as strong as our school district and investing in their safety should be a high priority. We have a responsibility to provide all kids a safe, up-to-date, and supportive environment in which to learn. For these and many reasons I am voting YES on the school bond on April 26th. Please join me and think of the futures of our community and our children.

MICHELLE BINION

Ilwaco