Puyallup’s students badly need voters’ support

It’s the shame of Puyallup. Or at least it should be.

Too many Puyallup schoolchildren spend their days crammed into “temporary instructional spaces” – better known as portables.

But in the Puyallup School District, these “temporary” spaces have become semi-permanent. That’s not an atmosphere conducive to learning. And if district voters once again reject a bond measure Nov. 3, the crowding will just worsen.

Puyallup, the eighth largest school district in the state with more than 22,250 students, uses the most portables per capita – 122 at the elementary level alone. Another 1,600 students are expected within the next five years, with almost 66 percent of the growth expected in the elementary schools.

That is why the Nov. 3 $292.5 million bond measure is so important. It will replace three elementaries (Firgrove, Northwood and Sunrise) with larger schools, build a new elementary on district-owned land on South Hill, and remodel and expand Pope Elementary. The new elementary will help relieve pressure on the district’s most crowded elementary, South Hill’s Zeiger.

Bond passage would enable full-day kindergarten, special education preschool classes and a science classroom in each of the five schools. Besides creating classroom capacity for an additional 2,720 students, passage would allow the district to get rid of 100 elementary school portables.

This bond measure was one of two alternatives proposed in March by a 28-member advisory committee that included parents, district employees, students, architects and others. The school board opted for the less expensive of the two bond plans.

It’s not just important to vote for this bond; it’s important to vote, period. Besides requiring a 60 percent supermajority to pass, the measure requires at least 40 percent turnout of the previous general election.

The price is a reasonable one – in fact it’s crazy reasonable. At 2 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation, the owner of a $250,000 home would only pay about $5 more per year.

The usual opponents – the ones who helped defeat every proposed school bond measure in the past 12 years – will really have to reach to come up with a reason to reject such a bargain for Puyallup’s children. It’s past time to get rid of those portables.

This story was originally published September 21, 2015 at 10:00 AM with the headline "Puyallup’s students badly need voters’ support."