SHARON RHODES, Pasco

I am a longtime Pasco resident and a grandmother of two Pasco elementary students.

I am voting to approve the school bond for two very different reasons. The first, and most important, is that I enjoy taking vacations with my grandkids. The multi-track year round school schedule could bring an end to that because the kids may be on different school schedules.

I can't even imagine how families will begin to cope with that. My grandkids won't always be young enough to be willing to travel with me -- someday they will prefer to hang out with their friends -- so I cherish my time with them now.

The second reason is purely economic. I am afraid of what will happen to Pasco if we don't approve this bond and show support of our schools. I imagine families will move to other districts to avoid the problem, which will result in home sales and decreased property values. Pasco may also have a harder time attracting new businesses because we will be marked as a town that doesn't support its schools. Pasco needs to increase its tax base to help the issue -- passing the bond is a step in the right direction.