Education vs. prisons

By Steve Whittier, Gig Harbor

​Peninsula School District voters simply must pass the school bond, for safe, uncrowded schools for future generations. The thought of a capital bond failure scares me, how local teachers and students will be negatively impacted. 

You can read the facts and project list at psd401.net/bond, and vote yes before April 24.Some voters may mistakenly think if the bond fails, their taxes will not increase, but that is short-term thinking. It really boils down to pay now or pay later. Washington state spends $10,700 per public school student, which is below the national average.

​Compared to what the state spends on inmates, it's a drop in the bucket. The state spends over $35,000 per year, per inmate. Experts nationwide are concerned there is a "schools to prison pipeline” emerging trend, which will only cost taxpayers more.
It pains me to know Washington state is one of the top states paying more for incarceration than education of our kids. We can and must do better as a school district and as a society, to educate our kids and keep them safe at school.

This letter originally appeared in the Tacoma News Tribune on April 13, 2018.