Through my profession I have had the chance to visit and work with most of the schools on the North Olympic and Kitsap peninsulas. I can say that the facilities of the Sequim School District are not up the standards of other schools.

For example, classroom lab stations are too small to accommodate the growing number of students, have outdated technology, broken equipment and even basic things like sinks are beyond repair.  In many cases students outnumber the available space in classes to the point where science is taught in classrooms without any lab stations or equipment at all.

A carpenter, doctor, or law enforcement officer wouldn’t be expected to work with broken tools yet our students and teachers are being asked to achieve higher standards, deal with increasing enrollment, and teach students about modern science, technology and math without having appropriate tools or resources.

As a parent of a Sequim student I also support the bond for the security and safety it will provide our students. Schools with “one roof” designs are essential to keeping our most precious resource safe by making schools have one point of entry instead of separated buildings and deteriorating portables.

As a Sequim native and graduate, I encourage you to vote Yes for the bond because it will increase community pride, provide economic boost by hosting more sporting events and provide an attraction for talented families to choose Sequim as their home.

Support our community and schools by voting Yes on the proposed bond!

Powell Jones

Sequim

(Jones is director of the Dungeness River Audubon Center)