OAK HARBOR SCHOOL DISTRICT: Sound Off: Don’t forget to submit ballot in this important election (WNT)

Michelle Kuss-Cybula, superintendent of the Oak Harbor School District, wrote a Sound Off column for the Whidbey News-Times encouraging voters to support the district’s February 2023 bond measure. Kuss-Cybula’s column appeared in the paper’s Feb. 8, 2023 edition.

They Said It

By now Oak Harbor voters should have received their ballots for the upcoming election on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14. Oak Harbor Public Schools is asking voters to consider approving a bond measure that would replace three aging schools and enhance safety at all schools by creating single-points of entry at a declining tax rate for property owners.

As election day nears, you may be wondering why now is the time to consider a school bond measure. The approval of this bond measure would rebuild schools that have been deemed unfit for a remodel by the State and the Department of Defense because of the materials and old infrastructure of these buildings. With building costs increasing, postponing school construction is unlikely to result in any cost-savings. Waiting longer to build schools could result in the loss of millions in matching dollars, increased construction costs and/or design changes.

Ed. Note: Mrs. Kuss-Cybula included a link to the district’s website with full information about the bond measure.