Please vote yes for Richland schools. I am a parent, Richland resident, and a third grade teacher at Lewis and Clark Elementary; and I can attest to the need for a new school. Our building is 42 years old and is showing its age.

These problems can only be alleviated with the construction of a new building. Last year at Lewis and Clark alone, the Richland School District spent nearly $250,000 to repair basic systems such as the heating. Our school lacks fire sprinklers, handicap access and walls.

For those who are unfamiliar with the design of Lewis & Clark (which Marcus Whitman and Sacajawea also share), our buildings have an outdated "open pod" design. In this configuration all classrooms within a pod are open and in full view to the central pod hall; as such, classrooms lack any ability to be closed off to others, even in cases of emergency.

Teachers are constantly battling noise and distractions from the other five classes in the pod. Our rooms are not designed to accommodate modern technology -- our school's electrical wiring struggles to meet the demands of basic classroom equipment, such as computers.

Please vote yes for the Richland school bond.

DANIELLE CRAIGEN, Richland