Lake Washington School District proposes two levies and one bond for February election
Published 10:02 am Friday, November 13, 2009
At a meeting of the Lake Washington School District Board of Directors on Monday, Superintendent Chip Kimball presented his recommendations for funding measures to place on the Feb. 9 ballot.
His proposal includes a four-year Educational Programs and Operations Levy (EP&O), a four-year Capital Projects Levy including both facilities and technology items, and a new bond measure that would modernize Juanita High School, provide space for expected enrollment growth, and aim to prevent the associated overcrowding.
Educational Programs and Operations Levy
The EP&O Levy would renew the current levy, which provides over 19 percent of the district’s general fund revenues and will expire at the end of 2010. This measure approves a specific amount that the district can collect, which is capped by state law.
The total amount under the proposal ranges from $46.5 million in 2011 to $56.5 million in 2014. That would translate to a tax rate of $1.30 per thousand of assessed value in 2011 to $1.41 per thousand of assessed value in 2014.
Capital Projects Levy
The Capital Projects Levy has two components, including facilities items and technology items, and would replace the current capital projects levy that will expire at the end of 2010.
The facilities portion of the proposed renewal levy is to replace major systems, like roofs, flooring or heating systems, at appropriate times through the life of each school building. It also pays for safety and accessibility improvements.
The second component to the capital projects levy pays for technology items including research databases and educational software, and electronic whiteboards.
The total cost of the capital projects levy renewal would range from $19.6 million in 2011 to $22 million in 2014.
That amount is expected to generate a tax rate of $.55 per thousand of assessed value each year.
Bond measure
The aim of a new bond measure is to move up the modernization of Juanita High School by four years, which would provide space where growth is occurring on the eastern side of the district.
Growth projections based on demographic information show that the district will need more space by 2014.
The planned change to a four-year high school configuration means that two new elementary schools, additions at Redmond High and Eastlake High School, and expansion of Environmental and Adventure School, will provide the needed space for growth and for changing grade configuration at the same time.
The cost of the new bond measure, which would raise $234 million, would cost $.33 per thousand in assessed value.
According to a release from the school district on Friday, when the last modernization bond was passed in 2006, it was a very close call on whether to modernize Lake Washington High School or Juanita High School during this eight-year modernization phase.
Now that the new Lake Washington High School is being built, the district will soon have three modern high school buildings and one that is 38 years old.
Construction costs are relatively low now and construction jobs are needed in this area, the release states. If the bond measure passes, Juanita High would not be included in the planned 2014 modernization measure, the third phase of the district’s comprehensive modernization plan.
The total of all three measures would increase the total tax paid on a home with the average assessed value in the district from $1444 in 2010 to $1606 in 2011.
“These proposals reflect the real needs of our school district at this time,” Superintendent Kimball said. “We recognize the economic realities and in fact have made sure the capital projects levy, if passed, would pay for items that will reduce costs to our general fund over the long term. While the bond measure would be an additional cost, I feel obligated to lay before the voters the choice of paying that cost or having overcrowded elementary schools and inequity among our high school facilities.”
For more information on the LWSD’s levy and bond proposals, visit the district’s web site at www.lwsd.org/News
The Issaquah School District announced earlier this year it would submit three levy measures to the February ballot.
A renewal of the Maintenance and Operations (M&O) Levy would allow the District to collect its full statutory
authority — 24.97 percent of its total federal and state funding — which amounts to between $35 million and $42 million per year from 2011 to 2014. The M&O levy provides 19¢ of every classroom dollar – equivalent to 360 classroom teachers or 425 classified positions.
A renewal of the School Bus Levy, which would provide $1.7 million in 2011 to purchase 41 buses.
The levy would allow the District to collect state funding to offset the cost of bus purchases, ensure alignment with state safety standards, and provide the most efficient buses.
A renewal of the Capital Levy, which includes two components: educational technology and critical repairs for each school District-wide.
If renewed, the District would collect $32.9 million for technology and $5.6 million for critical repairs over the life of the levy.
These dollars would fund the replacement of computers, printers, servers, and document cameras, provide staff training, implement wireless internet, and provide efficiency software for school bus operations, among other things.
For more information on the levy proposals, visit the districts’ web site at www.issaquah.wednet.edu/district
