ROYAL SCHOOL BOND

I urge all the citizens who are eligible to vote to carefully consider the Royal School District's Bond proposal to upgrade our current facilities to handle our growing student population.

Our civil society depends upon a well-informed public making rational choices with scarce public dollars.

I feel that our society is built on the bedrock of solid institutions that provide for a level playing field for all so that everyone is afforded equal opportunity. The most important one is our public schools.

Our school board has been very conservative in their oversight of our school district the past 30-plus years, and we are fortunate to have citizens who are willing to give their time and talent to this important institution.

I was raised by a civil servant who spent his whole life building large projects (dams along the Snake River) so that we would all have a prosperous future. He was the first of his family to leave the reservation and get a college degree after serving his country during World War II.

My father in-law had a much different background. He did not go to school past the eighth grade because he had to help out on the farm. But he was one of the smartest men I have ever known.

Both were straight shooters who would ask clarifying questions of their government and demand excellence from their government.

I own and operate a commercial cherry orchard and teach at Royal High school. The epi-center of this community is our school district. When I walk down the hallway I see a bright future no different than the Walla Walla Valley where I grew up.

Immigrants from all over the world descended upon Walla Walla in the 1800's and worked together to create a vibrant and diverse economy that has a very strong work and civic ethic. Walla Walla's strength is its cultural, ethnic, and religious diversity. I feel fortunate to have learned how to work in the onion fields by Italian immigrants.

We are in our relative infancy compared to Walla Walla but headed towards the same conclusion if we listen to each other and solve problems with the same common goal in mind - equal opportunity for all.

All four of my children attended Royal Schools and, in short order, my first grandchild will attend Red Rock. They were in good hands and I would personally like to take the time to thank the teachers at Red Rock for welcoming my children with open and loving arms and motivating them to want to learn. Their early positive academic experiences have carried them through life, with my youngest just graduating from WSU.

Royal is as close to a private school as one could ask. Our new superintendent Rose Search has built upon the legacy of David James and Dr. Bauer before her. The educational initiatives she brought with her are taking hold. Our test scores for our demographics are unmatched and noticed by districts around us.

As we approach the vote in April, I would be more than happy to sit down with you and go over why I support this important local initiative.

Andrew Perkins

Royal City