One week left until the April 26 special election on the Proposition 1 school bond measure -- Vote "yes"!

Endorsements for Prop. 1 continue to build; more than 16,000 votes have been turned in

Ballots are due one week from today -- April 26 -- in Lake Washington School District’s Prop. 1 measure, which would help ease overcrowding while keeping the tax rate stable.

This week drivers in Redmond, Kirkland and Sammamish will continue to see teachers, parents, students and school supporters waving signs during the morning and afternoon commutes. Volunteers are also going door-to-door to talk to voters about the importance of the bond for students and schools. After failing to reach the needed 60 percent vote twice in 2014, supporters are rallying to urge voters to approve the measure this spring.

“This vote is so important for our students,” said Eric Campbell, a Lake Washington School District parent who served on the district’s 63-member long-term facilities task force. “We looked at the solutions needed to address overcrowding while not raising the tax rate. I’m really proud of the work of our task force. Prop.1 will add enough classroom space for 3,000 more students and help address overcrowding.”

Lake Washington School District is one of the fastest growing in the state, growing from the sixth to the fourth largest in the past year. The district saw an increase of 1,114 students in just one year. That’s growth of 34 new classrooms in one year.

The number of people who endorse the bond continues to grow. Legislators, mayors, PTAs, Chambers of Commerce and the Seattle Times editorial board all urge Lake Washington School District residents to vote YES on Prop. 1. For a full list of endorsements, visithttp://vote4lwsdkids.org/endorsements/

So far, 16,290 ballots have been returned as of Monday, out of 109,561 possible registered voters, according to King County Elections.

If approved, the bond will:

·        Build two new elementary schools

·        Build a new middle school

·        Rebuild and enlarge Juanita High School

·        Replace and enlarge both Mead Elementary here and Kirk Elementary in Kirkland

·        Renovate the Old Redmond School House

·        Generally reduce our use of portables

·        All without raising our tax rate

  

For more details on the April 26 bond, visit: www.vote4lwsdkids.org