Important vote for Campbell schools

To the Editor,

Upgrades to educational facilities keep students safer and allow them to focus on learning. It's as simple as that. As a community, we should focus on providing a safe and comfortable learning environment for our students. That's why we're making it a priority to give our students a new and improved elementary school without passing on any additional costs to the residents of Campbell.

At Campbell R-II, we make safety and student comfort one of our top priorities, along with academic success. Currently, students at our elementary school (which was built in the 1950s) must walk outside to get to certain classrooms and visit the nurse. Through multiple surveys, parents have told us that creating one central building - to avoid students traveling between buildings - is at the top of their list for facility improvements. Students are out in unpredictable elements, which is less than ideal. In addition, walking out in the open creates safety concerns and multiple doors allow more open access to the buildings from outsiders.

Also, due to age, the elementary school has an inefficient heating and cooling infrastructure, and needs electrical upgrades to support new technology. In a new building, we will have updated HVAC systems, allowing for more controllable temperatures to keep students from getting too hot or cold. These updated systems also provide significant energy savings and could potentially use up to 50 percent less energy and last twice as long. Along with heating and cooling upgrades, the new school will support more modern technology like computers and smart boards for student use.

We are calling on our community to help us improve these facilities for our young students. We believe that building a new elementary school is of the upmost importance to the safety and comfort of our students and thus, to their continued academic progress.

As you know, we are approaching a vote in August regarding Proposition K.I.D.S. If passed, this bond issue will allow this project to move forward. The plan proposes a new building that will provide improved safety measures with a centralized, one-story building and a more controlled environment for student learning with HVAC and electrical upgrades.

The proposed $5 million no tax-increase bond will allow the district to build the first phase of a new elementary school. Demolition of our current elementary school, and the development, construction, equipping and furnishing of a new elementary school will happen in a phased approach. The project will focus on educational facilities first, with a secure central office entrance. If funds are available, we plan on addressing needs for the library, computer lab, music rooms and counselor's and nurse's offices.

These projects are long-term upgrades that will make our students safer and more comfortable, and will benefit the school and the district for years to come. If this bond issue passes on Aug. 5, our students could have a new elementary school as early as August 2016. Through our partnership with McKinstry, a full-service, design-build-operate-and-maintain (DBOM) firm, and your support we hope to make this project a reality.

I urge all patrons in the Campbell R-II School District to support Proposition K.I.D.S. so we can ensure our students' safety and success.

Jay Thornton

Superintendent,

Campbell R-II

School District