Editor,
Oak Harbor voters will soon be presented with a monumental opportunity to build brighter futures for our community. The upcoming school bond measure for Oak Harbor Public Schools will replace three aging schools, provide critical safety enhancements for all schools and address important needs of the Oak Harbor Community at a greatly reduced cost than what taxpayers are currently paying or what they considered during the last bond cycle.
For every dollar contributed by our Oak Harbor taxpayers, 96 cents will be matched by federal and state dollars. This is a rare offer that doesn’t come around in a lifetime. A majority of the matching dollars will come from the Department of Defense. Due to the site’s poor conditions, capacity limits and locations, Crescent Harbor Elementary and Hand-in-Hand/HomeConnection are eligible to receive 80 percent in reimbursable funds to rebuild these aging schools that serve our military families.
An additional 7 percent match will be provided by the State of Washington to demolish portions of Oak Harbor Elementary and build a school to address the growing population in the Fort Nugent area. The last time we built a new elementary school was in the 1980s. The population of Oak Harbor has doubled in that timeframe and the schools have had to accommodate this growth by using portable, temporary classrooms with no restrooms.
The bond measure also addresses critical needs at a reduced price than what taxpayers paid for the previous school bond that expired in December 2022. It includes safety enhancements, building a new school where there is projected growth, and repurposing Oak Harbor Elementary for early learning and child care partnerships.
The needs of our community will only become more critical and more expensive as time goes on. We cannot afford to miss out on this opportunity. Vote yes for the upcoming school bond. The Oak Harbor community (current and in the future) will thank us for it. If you are interested in getting involved and supporting this effort go to www.citizensforbetterschools.com
Samantha Horrobin
Erica Wassinger
