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Think about why you live in Steamboat Springs. Many of us live here for the healthy and pleasant environment, the active, rural life style, the supportive community, and the value placed on lifelong learning. It makes sense that we think our kids deserve to have these same basic things reflected in their school environments. With this in mind, we whole-heartedly support the passage of the upcoming school bond issues 3C and 3D.

While our local schools have consistently demonstrated academic excellence, this has been achieved in challenging settings. Consider the fact that at both elementary schools poor air quality and ventilation has been identified as a significant issue. Our kids deserve clean air to support their ability to learn. Lack of space, crowded conditions, and sprawl in our schools inhibits the collaboration necessary for us to meet strenuous educational goals. Teacher and support staff salaries throughout the school system have not kept pace with similar districts in Colorado, making it difficult to attract and retain quality personnel.

At Strawberry Park over 1/4 of the school population is housed in temporary structures. The location of these structures means students must trek across icy walkways to access restrooms or utilize shared spaces. A kindergarten classroom is located in an office space, which has no windows. Numerous special education teachers are crowded into one small modular, and these teachers find it nearly impossible to find open spaces to work with students who have special needs.

At Soda Creek, a building that is over 50 years old, posts built to support the roof are located in the middle of classrooms, making visual contact with the teacher a challenge. Due to the antiquated design and layout of the building, many students must receive small group instruction in hallways already crowded with traffic. Significant safety issues are constantly being addressed due to the inadequate area for drop off and pick up of students. Aging plumbing poses challenges. Do these descriptors meet the criteria that we would want in order to facilitate and ensure that all of our students achieve their learning potential? We believe they deserve better.

Having taught in these schools for a combined total of over 50 years, we have experienced hands-on the daily challenges that have developed over time as a result of these aging buildings and a pay scale for staff that is not competitive. As parents of current and past students within the Steamboat Springs School District, we have seen the effects of these inadequacies on student learning. As property owners and taxpayers, we know that the minimal investment of $8.00 a month now for the average homeowner is minute in comparison to the long-term benefits that will come from this commitment to the future. We wholeheartedly believe that the passage of these ballot items will provide for the outstanding educational staff and settings that our children deserve. We strongly urge you to vote "yes" on 3C and 3D.

Cindy Gantick, Soda Creek Fifth Grade Teacher

Celia Dunham, Strawberry Park Instructional Support Specialist