I would like to urge the Northshore School District community to vote for all three ballot measures on Feb. 11. I am a Northshore School District resident and parent of a recent Bothell High School graduate, a current BHS student, and a current Skyview Junior High student. When I moved to the area a little over six years ago, the first criteria for selecting a place to live was the local school district and performance. The NSD has a long and proud history of outstanding performance and it was an easy decision to settle into Bothell. This legacy of high performance is at risk if these three measures are not passed.

I would like to make two separate arguments for supporting these three measures on Feb. 11; first, that an inclusionary and comprehensive process, supported and approved by the School District, has brought us to this point, and second, that our continued economic growth is ultimately at stake here.

For a number of decades, the NSD has had a number of standing task forces in place to help in its guidance and decision making process. The EDTF, Capital Bond, and Levy Task Forces are made up of professional staff, educators and members of the public. I had the privilege of participating on the Bond Task Force. For well over a year and after spending more than 1200 man-hours of time we were able to bring a recommendation and receive overwhelming approval from the NSD Board for these three ballot measures. As a resident participant on the Task Force, I wasn’t specially selected or asked to be a member. I saw a notice looking for volunteers and I signed up. I was interested in the state of the district and wanted to make a contribution. No one was turned away who wanted to participate. We were given exhaustive amounts of data and information, we toured almost half of the buildings, we learned about building codes, OSHA requirements, and future technologies; all so that we could make the best and most informed recommendation to the NSD Board. And I firmly believe that we have.

As I stated earlier, I moved to Bothell to be a resident within the NSD. I am not alone in making this decision. The school district is playing a role in creating demand for housing and employment in the area. As most of us are well aware, that demand is being met, especially in the north end of the district. It isn’t just the housing that is growing. The Bothell Landing Development, the growth of UW Bothell and Cascadia, and the relocation of businesses to Canyon Park are tremendous economic engines to the area. These large projects bring with them demand and need for small business as support and to service. We are creating a cycle of positive, sustainable growth. However, we must insure that our foundation and infrastructure remain strong. The school district is a critical reason why, and perhaps even a catalyst for this growth. We cannot abandon the infrastructure now. The wheels have already been set in motion. More and more families with children are c oming to the area. They want to come. They are demanding it. We must insure that we have right facilities and support programs in place to continue to educate our children at such a high level.

We have a wonderful challenge to address at the ballot on Feb. 11. Vote “YES” three times, for our children’s success

Thank you,

Jeffry Borgida, Bothell