Every community reaches a moment when it must decide what is owed to the next generation. For Aurora City Schools and for my family, that moment is now. On November 3, 2026, voters will decide on Issue #4, which will fund a new elementary school and long-overdue repairs to our existing buildings. My husband and I are voting YES, and we hope you will too.
We moved to Aurora 40 plus years ago and had two children who attended the Aurora City Schools. We supported school levies and bond issues throughout these years with no thought that our grandchildren would attend the Aurora City Schools as well. Our grandchildren are now in Aurora City Schools. Little did we know that our work in the 1990s would support the education of our next generation. Now the time has come for all of us to consider another bond issue for future generations. Dick and I have always believed that the strength of a community is the quality of the schools and the education that they provide. Aurora has shown continual improvement in the years we have lived here.
Please consider what the bond issue would provide. Craddock is more than 100 years old. Roof leaks, heating and cooling systems failures that were once occasionally happening are constant. Every dollar spent patching a failing boiler is a dollar not spent in the classroom. Deferred maintenance doesn’t disappear. It gets more expensive every year we wait.
A new elementary school addresses a second problem: overcrowding and growing enrollment. Younger students deserve safe, modern spaces built for how children learn today… with secure entrances, accessible design and room for small-group instruction. Teachers do their best work when the buildings support their instruction.
My husband and I understand that no one loves tax increases. The District has listened to the community with Issue 4. It is a scaled-back plan focused on Aurora’s most urgent needs today. The motto of Replace, Repair and Protect addresses our essential needs today to avoid paying more tomorrow. Be aware that these funds are legally restricted to facilities and cannot be used for salaries or operations.
Previous generations of Aurora residents built the schools we rely on today. Now it’s our turn to do the same for the students who will follow.
Please vote YES on the Aurora City Schools’ bond issue on November 3, 2026. Your children and maybe your grandchildren are counting on us.
— Richard and Diane Bush, Aurora
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