Wednesday, April 27, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
LETTERS
Continued from page 2
To the Editor:
My husband, Jeremy, and I moved to Sisters 11
years ago from Portland when we knew we wanted
to start our family. Having lived as newlyweds in the
Portland Public School District and having worked
along a school nurse in an inner-city high school,
we knew we wanted a small town with a great com-
munity to raise our future children. Jeremy grew up
in Minnesota, where all parents and siblings rallied
to support community and school events. On the
contrast, I was part of the thousands of students in
a large city that struggled with funding for so many
needs.
From our first meeting of other parents at the
Little Cloverdale Preschool Co-op, we have felt
that we were exactly where we were meant to be.
Now our daughter, Kathryn, is a fourth-grader. Our
son, Emmitt, is a first-grader at Sisters Elementary
School. Both kids play baseball in the Sisters Little
League. Kathryn is proud to be part of the Outlaws
volleyball program where she plays in the SHS
gym, and Emmitt started playing flag football this
year at Reed Stadium.
As a parent, and extremely proud Outlaw sup-
porter, I look forward to sitting with my blanket and
hot chocolate in the bleachers to watch my son play
the sport he loves for the next 10 years. I hope for
school gymnasium and commons areas where all of
our students and teacher are safe.
As a volunteer who spends precious time in
classrooms, I look forward to my children continu-
ing to grow and learn and grow in a middle and high
school that is so incredibly supported by the entire
community.
Please take a moment to learn more about the
upcoming measure. All members of this wonder-
ful community have a voice in how we support it.
The local school bond proposal has delegated funds
to improve our track and field so that all support-
ers of students, Outlaw or visitor, can cheer safely
while our kids strive for their best. The bond also
has plans for new measures to help our schools keep
our kids safe while they learn and play. I hope you
would visit the website www.ourschoolsourcommu
nity.org
We all are so grateful to be a small part of a
strong community of parents, grandparents, friends
and businesses that values all of our children. Thank
you for your time and investment in our future!
Angela Buller
• • •
To the Editor:
As parents of two children in the Sisters School
District, we are writing in support of the upcoming
school bond.
Ensuring that our schools have upgraded safety
and security systems is of the utmost importance in
this day and age. This is not an emotional plea, it
is a reality of our times. It seems reasonable to use
bond dollars to make critical repairs and upgrades
to ensure that our schools are a safe haven where
learning can thrive.
Renovating Reed Stadium will allow us to host
more athletic events, bringing many dollars into
local restaurants and businesses and supporting the
overall health of our town. It will make the stadium
safer and more accessible for all members of our
community, many of whom are elderly and may
otherwise have difficulty attending games or utiliz-
ing the facilities. It makes our school district more
attractive to those families moving into the area
who are deciding where in Central Oregon to live. It
seems reasonable to invest in not only our children
and school district, but our community as a whole.
The school bond would have an immediate
impact by freeing up thousands of dollars to be used
in the classroom. Keeping class sizes small and
purchasing learning materials have repeatedly been
indicated in community forums to be a priority, so
this also seems reasonable.
During the past five years as classroom and dis-
trict volunteers, we have witnessed teachers, admin-
istrators, staff and volunteers stepping up to fill in
9
the gaps in funding due to declined enrollment —
all in order to ensure that our children are receiving
a terrific education. Sisters still ranks as one of the
best school districts in Oregon — let’s continue that
tradition and vote yes on Measure 9-108.
Amber and Roy Dean
• • •
To the Editor:
We are writing in support of Measure 9-108.
We have children that have attended, or now
attend, Sisters Christian Academy (SCA), Sisters
Elementary School and Sisters Middle School
(SMS). Our daughters have benefitted from strong
education, and remarkable teachers and staff, at all
three schools. The schools in Sisters were a moti-
vating factor in our decision to move here, and we
are fortunate to have such amazing educational
choices in a community our size.
When asked why we are supporting Measure
9-108, when one of our children attends SCA, our
answer is clear. Our daughter at SMS will be imme-
diately impacted, in and out of the classroom, with
the passing of this measure. Both our daughters use,
and benefit from, the district facilities. SCA is K-8,
and the majority of students from SCA, including
our daughter, will attend Sisters High School and
be directly impacted as well. Strong schools are an
integral part of a thriving community.
Installing current state-recommended secu-
rity standards and practices ensures the safety of
our children. Currently, our school entrances are
not secure, and our staff must individually lock
each door during a lockdown situation. That feels
unacceptable.
Updating our athletic facilities will have a wide-
reaching effect. Sisters, unlike many other districts,
leaves the track and tennis courts unlocked and
accessible for everyone to enjoy. A new track will
enable us to, once again, host track meets, which is
a win for our entire community.
We have been impressed with Superintendent
See LETTERS on page 10