I am appreciative of the support provided by our community and its campaign volunteers that led to voter support of the school district improvement bond.

On February 24, King County certified the election results with 62.5 percent approval for the measure.

Construction of a new elementary school will begin this summer and it will be open for students in the fall of 2016, freeing up needed classroom space in each of our district’s five existing elementary schools.

Our district can now rebuild and expand Mount Si High School and bring back a third middle school after initial construction at the main high school campus. Work will be done over the coming months and years to develop detailed designs with input from the community and school staff. As a parent and community member, I look forward to learning more about this part of the process, now that funds are in place.

Volunteers with Snoqualmie Valley Citizens for Schools were part of a grassroots effort since August. Citizens, parents, teachers and Mount Si High School students offered their time to: Make 10,000 telephone calls during 10 nights of phone banking; create a mailer sent to 7,000 households and reaching 11,500 voters; develop and maintain an informative and persuasive website and Facebook page; write numerous supportive letters to the editor; create a video that showed the possibilities for a new high school; and seek endorsements from PTSA’s, Snoqualmie Valley School District teachers and staff, community organizations and leaders and local and state officials. Without their contributions a successful campaign would not have been possible.

Lastly, I would like to thank the district administrative staff who provided guidance, consultation and facts to the Citizens for Schools leadership team.

I believe the benefits of this school bond will be realized by our community for generations.

Kirk Harris,

Chair, Snoqualmie Valley Citizens for Schools