The Seattle Times editorials along with the letter to the editor of May 11 have perhaps unexpected connections/relevance to one another — and to the serious overcrowding situation facing the Lake Washington School District (LWSD).

The editorials call on Congress to expand H-1B visas for tech workers … and to allow spouses of visa holders to work. There is little, if any, reason to begrudge the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation or Microsoft if they contribute considerable funding toward educating and then recruiting people from other countries. Washington Roundtable confirms the need for some 34,000 employees who have acquired high-tech skills.

As William R. Andersen points out in his letter, the “Legislature has dragged its feet” on K-12 funding. The priorities in Olympia — and in LWSD — arguably contributed to rejection of the district’s recent bond measures. Regardless, the significant number of folks here on visas would likely have voted to tax themselves to support much needed new schools for their children’s and new friends’ education!

Whether national, state or local, lobbying efforts should include a proposition that would grant these folks the restricted right to vote on educational ballots. Appropriate databases and mail-in ballots make this manageable.

Larry Happ, Redmond