Failed bond does not show optimistic future

As a parent, volunteer youth coach and community member, it was a sad and disappointing day when our school bond failed to pass.

A school is the heart of a community and the window into a community. Failing to pass the bond will have negative short and long term repercussions. I understand not wanting to increase taxes but if WE cannot invest in our own community, how do we expect someone else to?

In the short term, taxes will not go up; but in the long term home values will decrease and become more difficult to sell. Why?

With a strong school and healthy working environment, it will attract good teachers who want to invest and live in a community.

However, if our school system cannot offer this, we will end up with new teachers looking to gain experience. They will rent a house and move on to a school system that offers students and staff a positive learning environment and to a community that supports this.

For a family or business looking to relocate, one of the first things they look at is the school. I have heard people voted no because of the “gym”.

Do you honestly think the school board, administrators and the multitude of community advisors would put the multipurpose room (it was no more than four walls, ceiling, floor and a couple of baskets) on the bond if they did not think it was essential to educating our youth?

Linda Kubik said she wouldn’t support the bond because it did not have a stage for the arts. Linda, please spend a day in the elementary multipurpose room (that has a stage and it would of received some much needed help within the bond that was proposed) during the heart of the school year and see how crowed it is every night with Missoula Children’s Theatre, high school drama club, Mrs. Kinch’s dance class, cheerleader practice and DYW practice.

Even before you throw in youth basketball practice, it is a scheduling disaster.

As a parent, volunteer youth coach and community member, it was also a sad and disappointing day on Sunday when one of the short term repercussions became a reality. Our LRS School District Superintendent, Mr. Rob Roettger announced his resignation and that he was taking a job with the Cheney School district.

I haven’t talked to Mr. Roettger personally to know why he made this decision and how much the bond failing had to do with it, but I’m just connecting the dots.

I do know my kids and our teachers lost one of the best school administrators in education! I also know the strain this has on VOLUNTEER school board members and all the countless hours and school district funding (not spent on kids and technology) needed to rehire another Superintendent.

I’m sorry we decided not to better support our kids, but as a community we made our bed and now we have to lay in it.

Aaron Esser, Ritzville