Vote yes for Grant High's referendum

On Feb. 5th, our community has an opportunity to do something almost unheard of: Vote yes on a referendum that will not raise the tax rate! Grant Community High School has done an excellent job of preparing for the influx of students that are expected to walk through the doors between now and 2014.

The current student enrollment is 1745, with a building capacity of 1750. By the year 2014, 2300 students will be enrolled.

This referendum will allow for the addition of 21 classrooms, an activity center/fieldhouse (that's a fancy way of saying "big gym"), and the acquisition of property offsite for a transportation center and additional athletic fields.

By the way, the activity center/fieldhouse will be used seven periods a day, Monday through Friday, at 100 percent utilization (that means that the space will be full all day, every day). It will have seating for 2,500 spectators, which makes it a great place for community events, but athletic events, indoor graduations, and school assemblies for the entire school (something that can't currently happen due to space constraints).

Good planning has made possible the retirement of some existing bonds (old debt), allowing for these new bonds to take their place so that this can take place without raising the tax rate.

Vote yes on Feb. 5th for the expansion plan at Grant Community High School.

Kim Schnoor

Ingleside