I am a 5th generation graduate of what is now the East Marshall School District. I returned to my hometown after college and teaching out of state for several years and have been paying taxes in the district for 35+ years. This letter is written as an alum, a current district taxpayer, a retired educator of 41+ years, and a concerned citizen.

Deciding to vote YES for the current EM bond issue was a difficult decision for me. I have spent the last year attending nearly every monthly school board meeting. I volunteered for the superintendent hiring committee when they were seeking new leadership. I also volunteered for the rejuvenated facilities committee and attended many a meeting. I am now a member of the YES committee promoting the passing of the $19.8 million bond for the EM schools.

By voting YES I am giving the OK to demolish my school and all of the history within. What is not destroyed is what I took away from that building. I got a strong education that many times trumped what I saw in college from “metropolitan students.” I was able to attend classes in what was at the time a reputable, sound, respectable, and maybe even envied school. My parents and grandparents made sure of that. They paid for a new gym prior to my arrival in HS, and they paid to tear down the original elementary building that had served its time. They knew that was best for the students.

Here we are 50 years later. I must ask myself the same questions I imagine my kin asked themselves. I’m sure I have the same battles in my head as they did theirs. But in the end I MUST do what’s best for the students as they did. If my town, my school district, this country is to survive then we MUST invest in our students. I was fortunate to attend a welcoming school. It is only right that we send our students to a respectable learning environment. The students aren’t asking for a luxurious setting, but one in which their computers can be recharged in adequate receptacles without plugging 10 into a power strip. They are asking for an environment that simply has clean, temperature and humidity controlled air, not one that contains mold, asbestos and one in which papers curl and stick to the varnish on desks.

What frightens me the most is the “what if”. What if the bond doesn’t pass? We will have a crisis on our hands. It will probably be inevitable that our district dissolves. And here’s the reality: no matter what district you get absorbed into, YOU.WILL.PAY.MORE.IN.TAXES.THAN.WHAT.YOU.WILL.PAY.IF.THE.BOND.PASSES!!!! This is a no brainer! Invest in our kids and ALL our futures, or don’t and pay more in taxes. It’s that simple.

Please attend one of the numerous community meetings available, read the brochures, download the QR code, read on FaceBook, contact Dr. Kevin Seney. The information is out there. Educate yourself as I did. Do what’s right for the kids and our country! Please vote, and please consider voting YES.

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Sally Patterson Kriegel of Gilman is an alumni

of what is now known as the East Marshall School District and a retired educator.