Hope is NOT a strategy!

Snoqualmie Valley residents rejected a $209M bond proposal in February, with a 58% yes vote. So, clearly the board has to do put something together quickly because, according to the school district, we are in dire need of new schools.

Their decision? Put the SAME proposal back in front of the voters in May. Yep, that's right. No changes. Just put it back and hope it passes this time. Nice jawdropper. With pork barrel politics like this, I feel like I'm back in Chicago.

I hate to draw this conclusion, but I can only conclude one of two things:

Either a) the student population issue isn't as big as the board is making it to be, or b) the board really isn't interested in addressing the educational needs of the community. Why do I draw that conclusion? Simple dedection.

IF the school board was interested in the educational well-being of the community AND the school vacancy problem was as urgent as being claimed THEN the logical conclusion would be to put the single most urgent initiative in front of the voters and get it passed. That approach would be be the highest probability of passing and solving a need in the community. Since that approach isn't being taken, one can only logically conclude what I concluded above.

I learned to spot pork barrel legislation from my 12 years in Chicago, but I've never seen it at the local level like this. As a long-time Snoqualmie resident told me "welcome to the valley, get used to it." Sheesh I hope not.

I'll also say I find this an abuse of the system. If the bond would have passed by 2%, would the board have put it back for a revote? No way. We've had presidential elections that were much, much closer, and nobody said "hey let's put it back to the voters." An election's results should stand on its own, otherwise the system is basically saying "your first vote didn't count." Then again, perhaps this is something that's happened in the past in other municipalities, and is a reason absenteeism in elections in the US is so high.

Sigh, back to the polls again. A note to the Snoqualmie Valley School Board - please STOP gambling while my children's education. Hope is not a strategy.