Letter: Pasco schools asking for a lot more money

A June 8 article in the TCH informs us that the Pasco School District is proposing to present a $104 million bond levy for the voters’ approval in November. A $69.5 million levy voted on in February failed to pass.

School district voters are left to wonder why the price tag has increased 50 percent, while promising to do less work than the previous levy. Apparently, the $104 million will be used to build two more elementary schools and a middle school, which will “alleviate most of the space concerns,” according to school district representatives.

The consulting group responsible for the study is certain that the growth of student enrollments over the next 10 years will be similar to growth seen the past 10 years, which was primarily driven by an expanding Hanford work force and apathetic control of illegal immigrant migration into the area. The new sitting president is likely to have something to say about the continuity of these trends.

I suggest that the district get a second estimate, wherein adding portable classrooms is considered as an option, as opposed to building new schools in anticipation of an unpredictable and uncertain future.

This story was originally published June 21, 2017 at 3:29 PM with the headline "Letter: Pasco schools asking for a lot more money."