In the next few weeks we in Los Alamos have a choice; vote to keep our schools as they are or vote to make them better.

As the mother of two daughters attending Los Alamos Public Schools, it will come as no surprise that I am voting for the school bond.

But there are many reasons for all of us in White Rock and Los Alamos to vote in favor of this bond.

Los Alamos is known around New Mexico as having the highest quality schools for educating our children. It is something to be proud of, and we can thank the quality teachers and staff who make our schools successful.

But the fact is, they are effective in spite of the troubling conditions in many school buildings. Anyone who has visited our district’s campuses knows several of our schools are functionally obsolete and in desperate need of improvement or replacement.

In this election we have the opportunity to fix this problem. This bond will not only rebuild Aspen, but also finish up projects at the middle school and high school, and do preventative maintenance at the other schools until such time as they can be rebuilt.

Los Alamos values education. We talk about that all the time. Whether you have children in the district or not, we all will benefit by passing this bond.

• By improving our schools we will make Los Alamos more attractive to young families and the top talent we want to attract for LANL and local businesses.
• Modern schools make a more desirable community which raises the property values of our homes.
• Studies have shown that students’ academic performance is directly affected by the physical condition of the schools they are learning in. The more students and teachers have to deal with obsolete or worn buildings, the less time is spent on learning.

In short, better schools make a better community. Without any increase in property taxes, we can make Los Alamos an even better place to live.

When you receive your ballot in the mail, I encourage you to vote YES for the bond. Then mail it back or take it to the County Clerk’s Office before Jan. 29.

We’ve talked the talk. Now let’s walk the walk and vote to improve our schools by voting YES to pass this bond.