WINTON: Help keep it great

As parents of three boys who have or are attending Winton Elementary, we can attest that Winton is a great school! The welcoming atmosphere, the caring staff and the dedicated teachers all contribute to the overall success of Winton. Our boys have been acknowledged, encouraged, disciplined, rewarded and challenged at Winton. Winton has been a wonderful experience for our boys and they have received a quality education.

However, this great school, built in 1928, is in dire need of an update. Some attributes, like the shared hallways and temporary walls, provide many distractions to teachers and students throughout the day. The steep stairs down into the gym/cafeteria cause safety concerns. The ventilation and air quality is poor; just ask the Fourth- and Fifth-grade teachers, stop by the music portable or smell the boys’ bathroom! The pick-up/drop-off area creates safety concerns, especially in winter. The temperature of the building can be too cold (the furnace just doesn’t kick on like it did 50 years ago!) or too hot. These attributes do impact learning daily.

With your support and the passage of the Coeur d’Alene School Bond on Aug. 28, Winton and four other schools would undergo major renovations to alleviate these learning, health and safety concerns. With no funding from the state of Idaho for building or renovating schools, school districts rely on bonds to do so. Now is the time to support a school bond in the Coeur d’Alene district. Interest rates and construction costs are low. If passed, the new school bond would replace expiring school taxes. Passing this bond would provide jobs to community members. Passing this bond would make Winton, a great school, even better!

MARCELLO and KIM CONIGLIARO

Coeur d’Alene