Panel backs $65M school bond

VENICE BUHAIN; The Olympian | • Published November 24, 2009

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OLYMPIA – The Olympia School District should ask voters to approve a $65 million bond to pay for the most pressing district construction needs, according to a committee of parents and community members who studied options for a February ballot measure to pay for school construction.

The top priority was permanent repairs to the Capital High School roof, which collapsed in December and revealed that the roof’s original trusses were not built to specifications. The second-most pressing option was building three additional classrooms at Pioneer Elementary School.

The committee said that a $65 million bond would not raise district tax rates and would take advantage of construction bids that have been low because of the economy.

“We can make a statement about making investments in the school,” said committee member Joe Ingoglia, a parent of a Pioneer Elementary School student.

However, the economy was also a worry for board members.

“I’m wondering about a levy to get us by until this economy turns around,” board vice president Frank Wilson told the committee members. “And you’re concerned that we have pressing needs that could be addressed with just the levy.”

With the $65 million bond, the district could undertake major remodels of Roosevelt and Garfield elementary schools, modernize Jefferson Middle School and McLane and Madison elementary schools, replace portables with permanent classrooms at Olympia High School, and purchase property for two school sites.

The bond would pay for projects over the next six years, and officials estimate it would cost property owners 80 to 90 cents per $1,000 of assessed value.

The committee also considered two other proposals: a $15 million, two-year capital projects levy, and a $165 million construction bond to pay for projects expected for the next 10 years, which committee members said would raise taxes.

Board members said they liked that the recommendation did not raise taxes, but were concerned that the problems with the John Rogers Elementary building, which now houses the Olympia Regional Learning Academy and Head Start, were not included.