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Voters, it’s time to invest in our Somers school

We, the combined communities of Lakeside and Somers, share the northwest corner of Flathead Lake. We call it home. We are proud to be here. We are happy to live here, for whatever reason that brought us here. We all chose to be here, in this community.

In 1998, the communities of Somers and Lakeside completed a monumental task of approving, and paying for, the new elementary school in Lakeside. It remains a fantastic facility with a great staff that serves our community amazingly well. The middle school in Somers requires that same commitment from our communities.

It has been 20 years since the combined communities have been tasked with such a big ask from our school board. Our communities have changed dramatically in the last 20 years — new businesses, new infrastructure, new members of the community. It is time to grow and better our schools, much the same as the communities have grown. The requested $15.8 million is an investment — an investment in our communities, our children, our future.

All of us need to remember why we chose to live here. We can chose to support our community with this investment in ourselves, or not.

I will be voting yes to approve the requested school bond for the Somers Lakeside School District. —Brian Gannon, Lakeside

Somers school cost questioned; election process seen as unfair

I only this week found out that The Somers/Lakeside School District is in the process of putting forth a school bond for $15.8 million for renovations of the Somers Middle School. The tactics of this election are questionable at the least and possibly illegal from an equal access and due process standpoint. Let me explain why I think so:

The expenditure of $15.8 million in renovations for less than 200 students is suspect if not completely absurd. Prime rib and lobster is nice when others can be made to pay. At $15.8 million, according to the average cost per square foot of elementary- and middle-school construction, we should be looking at the plans for a 74,000-square-foot brand new school. It is my position that this bond is for far more than just the renovation needs of a small middle school. Rather than this plan, I would prefer a more economically acceptable set of upgrades that the electors can all get behind.

The announcements for this election were made at the end of May and the first weeks of June in the local papers. Then there was no public information, other than a legal notice, until it was time to vote. Have you read any legal notices today, this week, in the last month? Most of us don’t. Keeping the public from knowing, till the election is upon us, keeps the opposition citizenry from having the time to organize, inform, or campaign. I believe this is both unfair and a bit deceitful, but it is, and has been, very effective for school districts.

This popular new process, by school districts, to pass bonds with mail-in ballots is designed to decrease the statistical probability of a negative vote. The secret ballot of our election process assures a face to face verification of the voter, non-existent in a mail-in ballot. A secret ballot is important because it prevents both intimidation, or vote buying: neither is certain because nobody can prove how the voter actually voted. One could argue that most voters would be neither paid nor intimidated, but the availability of mail balloting means that those who are have no recourse. Can and will every signature be verified in this election?

This is a mail-in ballot election in October. Why October? Somers/Lakeside is a community with many snowbirds who have gone south by the time October arrives. Did you know that “mail-in ballots” cannot be forwarded? I’m sorry, but that alone disenfranchises quite a number of voters and denies them the basic opportunity to vote if they are kept unaware of the election. I have made several recent calls to snowbird friends who have left, and every single one was unaware of the election. Are “they” being given a fair chance to participate?

I hope you will vote no on the Somers Middle School bond because it is an exorbitant and unnecessary expenditure. But, the mail-in ballot process needs to be revisited and eliminated. —William T. Lincoln, Lakeside

Somers bond will make school safer, add opportunities

Somers Lakeside School District is running a school bond this month for $15.8 million. A bond is money used to fund remodels or new construction. The most recent bond approved in the district was in 1997 and was used to construct Lakeside Elementary. It was paid off in 2012. The current bond request amounts to $276.75/foot of building. This cost includes all fixtures, furnishings and equipment, fees and permits; it is also consistent with the amount requested for a new elementary in Whitefish and new elementary in Kalispell.

A levy is supplemental to the general fund and pays for the operation of the school district. The levy approved in 2015 by the district voters is paying for deferred maintenance, present facility needs, and for safety, security and emergency preparedness.

The district has reached out to the community for input about the proposed construction and held multiple informational tours at the Middle School, including a spaghetti dinner and an ice cream social. The current needs of the Middle School have been featured in the local newspaper and on local news stations. Both schools have the proposed plans for improvement posted and tours are available from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Also, flyers are available for community members seeking more information at local businesses in Somers and Lakeside.

I encourage everyone from the community to visit either school for a comprehensive list of needs to be addressed with the passage of this bond as they are too numerous to list here. The planned improvements will make the school more safe for students and staff as well as lead to greater student success and opportunities; these reasons alone are enough for me to urge you to vote YES on the bond. —Danielle Blanc, Somers Middle School teacher