If the bond fails, USD 251 will still exist. Northern Heights will still exist. And our students will still need a high school.

Northern Heights dates back to the 1950s. The district has already studied what it would take to continue investing in that building, including a renovation option estimated at more than $20 million.

If this bond does not pass, those needs don’t disappear. The building will continue to age, systems will still need attention, and significant investment will eventually be needed through a bond or another funding source.

People may have different thoughts on the best path forward. That’s okay.

But one thing doesn’t change: the future of our high school still has to be addressed.

Our kids deserve spaces that are designed for what their needs are today. They deserve schools that support how they learn, how they grow, and what they will need to be successful in the future.

And most importantly, our kids deserve a community that is willing to invest in them and believe in the future they are going to build here.

A failed vote doesn’t make the needs go away. It just means we will have to have this conversation again.