I am a passionate supporter of both the Building for Excellence School Construction Bond and the Education Programs and Operations Replacement Levy on the Feb. 12 ballot. As a parent of a student in the district I see the positive results from our communities continued support for the education of the scholars in our district. Our district has proven to be fiscally responsible, committed to being a leader in teaching and learning and staffed with outstanding people who make a difference for our scholars.

The Building for Excellence School Construction Bond will provide funding for an additional elementary school to accommodate the tremendous growth that our district continues to experience. It will also allow the district to renovate most other schools and add additional science classrooms in our high schools. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) jobs are growing at twice the rate of non-STEM jobs, so this is essential to provide more and better opportunities post-graduation for our scholars.

The Education Programs and Operations Replacement Levy is a replacement levy that will renew the district’s current three-year levy which expires in 2019. Renewing this levy will continue to provide funding for smaller class sizes, support staff, music, athletics, theater and arts, teacher salaries among many other things that are required to provide a quality education.

Kyle Grubbs

Renton