OPINION
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15, 2017
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A9
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Support school
bond in may
The Hermiston School
District is asking voters to
approve a school bond to
replace 55-year- old Rocky
Heights and 37-year- old
Highland Hills elementary
schools, construct a new
elementary school, and
make significant upgrades
to
Sandstone
middle
school and Hermiston high
school. The request is due
to aging buildings and se-
riously inadequate student
capacity. Since 2008, when
the last bond passed, the
district has grown by more
than 600 students. This in-
creased student population
has been addressed with 34
modular classrooms. How-
ever, due to the overcrowd-
ed conditions the district
recently was forced to cap
10 elementary classrooms,
which increased transpor-
tation costs to shuttle stu-
dents to non-neighborhood
schools and caused undue
disruption to many fami-
lies.
A 2014 population pro-
jection study by Portland
State University predicts
800 additional students by
2023, according to a mid-
dle-growth rate scenario.
The study forecasts more
than 1,250 new students
under a high-growth rate.
The current student pop-
ulation increase is greater
than the “high-growth”
rate used in the PSU study.
If the present-day growth
rate continues, the dis-
trict’s population will in-
crease 24 percent, with
more than 1,200 additional
students in seven years.
Without new construc-
tion and renovation, the
district will need 56 mod-
ular classrooms. However,
the use of modular class-
rooms does not address
subsequent overcrowding
of common areas such
as cafeterias, gyms, labs,
etc., which were planned
to support the student
populations for which the
buildings were intend-
ed. The lifetime of these
“temporary” classrooms
is reduced compared to
permanent construction,
and maintenance costs are
greater. More importantly,
the educational environ-
ment may be reduced.
I strongly urge the vot-
ers to consider the current
situation, look to the fu-
ture, and vote to approve
the proposed school bond.
For as Thomas Jefferson
reportedly said: “An ed-
ucated citizenry is a vital
requisite for our survival
as a free people.”
GEORGE CLOUGH
HERMISTON
Support growing
school population
I am writing to encour-
age a yes vote on the up-
coming school bond elec-
tion in May. Hermiston
is the largest and fastest
growing city in eastern Or-
egon. A recent population
study by Portland State
University forecasts that
the Hermiston School
District will continue to
increase its student pop-
ulation by a total of 800
students by 2023, a short
seven years from now.
In my opinion, that pre-
diction is a modest esti-
mate given the greater than
expected growth in student
enrollment over the last 10
years. (It is my understand-
ing that student enrollment
has exceeded the estimated
student population growth
by this same university
over the last 10 years.)
Our elementary schools
are overcrowded now and
the District is using mod-
ular buildings to make
room for our current stu-
dents. By replacing Rocky
Heights and Highland Hills
Elementary Schools and
building an additional ele-
mentary school, the needs
of serving our elementary
students can be met. Plus,
an addition to the high
school will add needed ad-
ditional classrooms for our
older students.
If this bond measure is
not passed, our children
will still need someplace
to go to school if we do
not build and remodel.
An additional 56 modu-
lar classrooms would be
needed to make room for
these students. The money
to purchase or lease these
modular classrooms will
come from funds intended
for the education of these
students, thereby short-
changing our students’ ed-
ucation.
I feel the Hermiston
community looks forward
to growth and is willing
to shoulder the challenges
that come with that growth.
It is said that good schools
make for good commu-
nities. Please join me in
voting for the Hermiston
School Bond so we can
give our community and
our kids the schools they
deserve.
BONNIE LUISI
HERMISTON
Alumnus, parent
supports school bond
As an alumnus of Herm-
iston High School and fa-
ther to current HHS stu-
dents, I urge you to vote
yes for the upcoming bond
for the Hermiston School
District.
I was a fourth grade
Highland Hills Husky
when it opened in 1980.
For many of us, 1980
seems not all that long ago.
But, if you are a building
that houses hundreds of
students day after day for
that many years you are
worn out. Highland Hills
Elementary School has
now educated my chil-
dren, as well. When visit-
ing them at school I would
find myself comparing the
structure to when it was
new and to other schools.
The building has areas
chipping away, the heating
and cooling system seems
non-existent and obvious-
ly inefficient, restrooms
are irreparable from use,
access for students with
physical challenges is dif-
ficult, and so on.
Now as a parent, when
I look at that building I see
is a lot of open space and
so many doors! In today’s
environment, we unfor-
tunately look at safety of
our children from a much
more severe perspective.
The old design of Rocky
Heights and Highland Hills
is not conducive to secure
campuses.
In a recent
safety audit performed by
the Hermiston Police De-
partment, Highland Hills
and Rocky Heights fell
well short of meeting cur-
rent safety standards, due
in large part to their lack
of life-safety alert systems
and outdated design. Hav-
ing a controlled access to
the school buildings where
students and visitors use
centralized entrance/exit is
essential to that safety.
Driving around town
one notices the number of
modulars at our schools.
Though the school district
planned for significant
growth when building new
buildings, the district’s
growth has exceeded those
numbers and that space. I
am concerned that children
walk to different buildings
to get to class at a young
age or that a high school
student must walk into the
main building from modu-
lars to use the restroom.
I encourage you to
attend the information-
al meetings, ask to visit
the buildings, or inves-
tigate the website http://
hermiston.k12.or.us/fa-
cilities-master-planning/
may-2017-bond-informa-
tion to learn about the
challenges of the district
and how voting “yes” will
help Hermiston students.
Please vote YES for the
Hermiston School District
Bond presented on the
May ballot.
Schools along with ex-
panding Hermiston High
School.
The existing schools
pose a unique challenge.
The design and layout of
the buildings make it easy
access for intruders and
put our children in harm’s
way. Each of the schools
has at least 25 doors and
give intruders access at
multiple points and unless
there’s security at each
door it makes it extreme-
ly difficult to monitor and
extremely dangerous for
our loved ones.
How do you keep track
of visitors and/or intrud-
ers? While visitors are
supposed to sign in at the
office how do you keep
track of those that would
go directly to one of the
rooms, it’s next to impos-
sible.
Our children, teach-
ers, staff and adminis-
trators deserve to be in
a safe learning environ-
ment. Endangering their
lives because of lack of
financial resources is not
something that we should
gamble on. The security
issue should not be left
unanswered because we
don’t want to spend on
the safety of our children.
As a long time communi-
ty resident I am very con-
cerned for the safety of
our children.
To have new schools
built where perhaps there
can a place to be used for
vetting all visitors before
given access to proceed
to enter the school would
make it much safer for
all students, faculty and
approved visitors. While
there are no absolutes or
guarantees we should try
to ensure we have done
all we can to significantly
reduce risks.
Ultimately the secu-
rity issue exists because
we haven’t prioritized the
safety of our loved one.
Unfortunately,
schools
are often overwhelmed
with conflicting priori-
ties such as lack of funds
to provide the right num-
ber of teachers needed or
books or curriculum, etc.
However, how do we put
a price on our children’s
lives?
Let’s not be reactive in
fixing this problem, let’s
be proactive! Let’s vote
yes for May 2017 School
Bond; VOTE YES FOR
KIDS!
EDDIE DE LA CRUZ,
PRESIDENT & OWNER, SUN-
RISE CLEANING AND JANITORIAL
SERVICE, HERMISTON
Bond will improve
school safety
have here in Hermiston.
One of the many rea-
sons we moved here 20
years ago was because
of the schools, teachers
and community. Over the
years our community has
risen to the needs of the
children. Safety and se-
curity at Rocky Heights
and Highland Hills ele-
mentary schools are two
current needs identified by
an independent safety au-
dit conducted by our own
Hermiston Police Depart-
ment. The audit found the
design, age, and lack of
life-safety alert systems
at these schools are inad-
equate to meet the current
safety standards. For these
reasons, among a host of
other reasons, I hope the
school bond is passed.
When it comes to safety,
can we be too prepared?
I’m grateful for the
schools and services we
JEFF SNELL
HERMISTON
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JASON MIDDLETON
HERMISTON
Vote ‘yes’ for
Hermiston kids
I write to urge you to
support the current $104
million bond proposal to
include replacement of
Rocky Heights and High-
land Hills Elementary
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