Letter: Vote yes for Pasco schools

I’ve been curious about how the enrollment in Pasco schools compare with the rest of Washington. I found the counts for all schools in the state and realized that Maya Angelou is one of the largest elementary schools in the state, with more than 900 students.

There are more than 2,000 elementary schools in Washington with lower enrollment. The average elementary enrollment in Washington is 468 students, and Maya has more than 900. The highest enrolled school in the state is Chiawana.

So Pasco School District has the one of the largest elementary schools, and the largest high school, in the state.

These are not the kind of awards we want to be known for.

Side effects of high enrollment: higher risks of bullying, suicide, poor academics and safety risks.

High enrollment doesn’t just mean we are overcrowded; it often means that the same number of support staff for a school of fewer than 468 are responsible for the care of more than 900.

It’s easy to see that the current system doesn’t equal success.

Or think of it this way ... how would you want them to vote if you were in an overcrowded nursing home that was short staffed and underfunded?

It doesn’t matter if you have a PSD student, this should matter to you; voting YES will make a meaningful impact to reduce overcrowding and improve our community.

This story was originally published November 1, 2017 at 4:39 PM with the headline "Letter: Vote yes for Pasco schools."