As a Lake Washington School District teacher, I see firsthand how our district’s rapid growth is impacting our kids’ educational opportunities.

Our schools are overcrowded and we are using far too many portable classrooms, which aren’t a long-term solution. Next year there will be 168 portables across the district. That’s equal to the classroom space in seven elementary schools.

Unless we come up with a solution, this problem is only going to get worse. Our school district is one of the state’s fastest growing, and we have grown from sixth to fourth largest this year alone. And the projections are that our student population will continue to increase.

That’s why I’m supporting the Lake Washington School District’s April 26 bond measure. It improves our students’ educational opportunities without raising our tax rate because it prioritizes our district’s most urgent needs to keep costs low. You can learn more at www.lwsd.org.

Please join me in supporting our schools. Vote “yes” on the Lake Washington School District bond.

Sarah Cooper, Juanita Elementary School teacher