EVERETT — Everett School District officials hope the third time will prove a charm in their attempt to pass a capital bond.
The $317.4-million bond measure on the April 28 ballot would replace three elementary schools, modernize buildings at Everett and Cascade high schools, upgrade classrooms at Jackson High and add 58 classrooms across eight other schools.
It comes on the heels of a similar bond proposal that twice failed in 2018 to reach the required 60 percent supermajority voter approval.
This measure differs from the 2018 proposal by asking to replace the elementary schools in lieu of building a fourth high school and buying land for a new elementary.
If it passes, the end result is the school district tax rate will lower from $4.87 to $4.78 per $1,000 of property assessed value, because existing bonds will have been paid off by 2021.
Owners of a home valued at $400,000 would pay $1,912 per year — $36 less than they are currently paying.
“Our goal is to keep a stable tax rate over time,“ said Kathy Reeves, a school district spokeswoman.
If the bond measure fails, tax rates would initially decrease but then rise steeply and continue to rise and fall erratically, Reeves said.
Because capital construction costs are not included in state basic education funding, bonds are the only tool available for school districts to raise money for big-ticket projects.
“These needs do not go away and they cost more if they are delayed. Our population will continue to increase, and buildings will continue to age,” said Reeves.
Building a fourth high school would have cost $89 million in 2014, when it was last packaged in a bond measure. By 2018, the price had ballooned to $216 million.
Instead of including a fourth high school in this year’s bond, the district is adjusting student boundaries to rebalance the number of students at Everett, Cascade and Jackson highs.
The district last passed a bond in 2016.
That $149.7-million measure funded the construction of Tambark Creek Elementary School, modernization of North Middle School and Woodside Elementary, replacing the roof at Gateway Middle School and other smaller projects.
The new bond would replace Madison, Jackson and Lowell elementary schools.
All three buildings are about 70 years old, said Mike Gunn, the district’s facilities and operations director. “They’re just worn out.”
The bond would also add 58 new classrooms spread across the district, the rough equivalent of two new elementary schools.
In addition, the bond would modernize the Cascade High School science building and the Everett High cafeteria and surrounding classrooms, and upgrade classrooms at Jackson High.
To rally support for the April 28 vote, the district plans a promotional blitz that includes a mailer, informational video, online display and social media ads and posts, and leadership presentations to more than 60 community groups.
“What we can do as a district is provide information about what is on the bond, what it will do and why the projects were chosen, as well as encourage people to vote,” Reeves said. “Bonds are a fact of life until the state comes up with a different way to fund school construction.”
For more information on the 2020 capital bond, visit www.everettsd.org/bond2020
