EDITORIAL: Room to grow

Crowded, tight confined spaces with lots of people lead to bad things.

The frustration and discomfort from a lack of space leads to people betraying their displeasure through comments they don't mean, tones of voice misinterpreted and facial expressions, meant to convey a sense of awkwardness, that put people on the defensive.

It is hard to remain calm, relaxed and open to communication when you feel crushed or your personal space invaded.

Imagine being at Moses Lake High School today.

A school designed for 1,700 students now houses 2,150.

Three lunch periods are held in a cafeteria designed for 300 students, but sees 700 each time.

Each year increases the number by almost 13 percent. Within five to 10 years, there could be 3,000 students needing high school education.

Each of them on the defensive, feeling crushed by the lack of space.

It becomes hard to learn under the pressure, and for some it will drive them out of school.

Teenagers out of school have a hard time surviving and a greater chance of turning to crime. Maybe they will find more room in a gang.

There is a danger in crowded hallways. Some high school students can lash out in frustration.

Can students find the connection with teachers to learn, when they are one of 2,150?

It's not just the high school that feels the impact of growing populations.

Chief Moses Middle School has about 1,100 students and Frontier Middle School another 750.

Portables were added to help house the increasing number of students, but they are Band-aids. The growth continues as more people discover the Columbia Basin,

It's time for us to roll up our sleeves and pitch in. We need to provide room for our youth to grow.

The Moses Lake School District is asking for a bond to build a second high school. One that can house ninth through 12th grade-students. One that can help allow the district to provide full-day eduction for kindergartners.

Two more elementary schools will allow the district to move sixth-graders out of the middle schools to reduce crowding.

Three schools to help our school district meet the needs of our children. It's a great idea and long overdue.

We are already paying for a bond we approved in 1993. It ends this year and the school district is asking for a replacement that costs 92 cents more per $1,000 assessed valuation. This is not a lot. It's a very small increase.

There is also a request by the district to continue a maintenance and operations levy. The difference, between the old levy that ends this year and the new proposed one for 2013, is 34 cents per $1,000 assessed valuation. Not a lot to pay for but it covers about 20 percent of the school operating budget.

The levy is needed to pay for education programs, after school activities, maintenance of the buildings and grounds, transportation of students, and resource officers to keep students safe. It's about 150 full-time jobs in our community. Jobs that return the property taxes through money spent at local businesses - perhaps where you work.

If you have children, then you want to see them get the best education.

If you attended a Moses Lake school, then you can pay back what you received from others - the ones paying for bonds and levies when you were there.

If you don't have children and didn't graduate here, by voting for the bond and the levy you can enjoy a better community with more kids in school instead of on the street. You can enjoy the success of enticing businesses wanting to locate in an area with a great education system.

Help ease the overcrowding and improve education. Help prepare our community for future growth. Help prepare our children for the future.

There's something in it for everyone.