Part of the reason our country is in its current troubling economic situation is that we, as a people, seem to act only in the short-term. Often times, we tend not to look beyond the potential gains of the next year or two.

But to truly prosper, we as a people, and as a community, must act not only for the “here and now,” but must also come together and invest in the future. The keystone of our nation’s future will be the leaders of the next generation: today’s children and young adults.

Our children’s future, and their ability to contribute to our society, lies in each child’s untapped, hidden potential. Many times, that hidden potential can only be brought forth by a good education.

During these challenging times of doubt and economic uncertainty, we as a community must still strive to invest in our children’s growth and their future. This can only be done by investing in their education. We must also protect and care for the important environment that encompasses that education — the school buildings, the classrooms, roofs and furnaces, the ‘nuts and bolts’ that we and our parents invested in during the past twenty-five years.

Snoqualmie Valley School District’s upcoming $27.5 million bond will fund some important initiatives.

The first is to upgrade and repair the structural integrity of buildings and systems throughout the school district. It will also help alleviate overcrowding at Mount Si High School by adding twelve classrooms for 360 students.

But more important, it also gives the school district time to carefully plan and assess the future needs of the district. It gives them the ability to chart a course for the best long-term direction for our students and schools and their needs for the future.

There is a fourth element to this bond, one that will have long-term ramifications that will echo across the years. If passed, this bond will free up essential operating funds that will allow money to be reallocated towards the vital education and classroom support needed by our children: teachers, books and materials.

If we fail to carry out our responsibilities as adults to foster our children’s education by not passing this bond, the vital funds for those teachers and books and our children’s future will go instead toward long-overdue structural repairs and upgrades throughout the school district. We need both.

Voting for this school bond provides books and the electrical upgrades to read them by, and provides teachers with new ceilings and roofs for them to teach under.

The tricky part is this: Washington state’s constitution requires that we must have a 60 percent “super-majority” to pass school bond elections. The total voter turnout within our school district must also be 40 percent of the number of ballots cast in the last general election. Yes, that general election — the one that electrified our nation and resulted in one of the largest voter turnouts in this country and this Valley in recent memory.

This local school bond election is no less important to our future. Vote yes.