I’m a parent-volunteer in three all-day kindergartens serving 80 kids in a South Auburn school. Our kindergarten teachers teach 26 or 27 5- and 6-year old kids, many of whom can’t tie their shoes. Some are rambunctious. Some are very rambunctious. They come from all kinds of families. They speak four different languages.

Now … imagine having to brace our walls and chimney, add structural plates, repair cracks and masonry, and anchor our heavy equipment so they don’t fall down in an earthquake.

Remove an underground fuel tank so it doesn’t leak and contaminate the soil. Re-sign and repaint our parking lot to meet ADA requirements, and for bus loading and pedestrian (child) safety.

Replace our kindergartens’ bathroom floors, because all kinds of interesting things didn’t flush down the toilet. Install enough plugs in our 40-year-old Library to accommodate existing computers.

Imagine dozens of other repairs and improvements required to keep our South Auburn school safe for kids, able to survive earthquakes, floods and other natural disasters. All of these are real, necessary repairs at the South County elementary where I volunteer.

Imagine 21 other Auburn schools serving nearly 15,000 students, needing these sorts of repairs and improvements.

Imagine November’s capital improvements levy failing, forcing us to lay off teachers, cut sports and programs, and increase our 27-student kindergartens’ class sizes, to make safety and government-required improvements.

Imagine November’s levy passing, making our school safe for our teachers to teach, and our students to learn.

Pat Montgomery