Editor’s note: We incorrectly reported that the school’s current bond was for $5 million. It is for $2 million.
It’s official.
Orcas School will be putting both a bond and a levy before the voters in February.
The $35 million bond will fund the construction of a new middle school building, library, music rooms, commons, OASIS classrooms, a career and technical education building, an athletic field and track, parking, site drainage, landscaping, and repairs to the elementary and high school, gym, and the facility on Waldron.
Voters approved the school’s current bond of $2 million five years ago. It expires in December of this year. The bond was used for construction and technical enhancements, and a portion of the bond – $400,000 – was slated for a CTE building to be added on to the middle school. That project was put on hold after problems with the middle school building were discovered.
The Maintenance and Operations Levy, which is also set to expire this year, accounts for a quarter of the school’s entire budget. The money is used for educational programs, staff, and supplies.
“The M & O levy has to pass. It’s a quarter of our budget,” board vice chair Janet Brownell said. “But the bond also needs to pass because the building is failing. It just so happens that they are up at the same time.”
The combined bond and levy rate is $1.33 per $1000 assessed property value, which is one of the lowest rates in the state. The current bond rate is 37 cents; if the measure is approved, it will go up to 72 cents. The current levy rate is 27 cents, and if the new levy is approved, it will go to 61 cents.
Today, residents with property assessed at $500,000 are paying $320 a year for both the existing bond and levy. If both measures pass, that total would be increased to $660 a year.
The school says the reason for the $35 million bond is simple: many of the buildings are failing. Over the last four years the school has studied the condition of the facility. Degrading infrastructure, compromised instructional spaces, and student safety are all reasons the board moved ahead with the bond, which is expected to pay for buildings that will last 50 years. Energy conservation practices like energy efficient windows, electrical, and building systems and recommissioning the HVAC systems will be implemented in the construction. Local contractors will be used whenever possible.
Seattle architecture firm Mahlum was hired this fall to cost out the entire project.
“They feel confident they can deliver everything on the list for $35 million,” Brownell said. “Once the bond is approved, repairs will start immediately. Mahlum will spend a year doing schematics, then bids will go out, and the project will be completed by 2013.”
Brownell says the bond will not just benefit Orcas Island students.
“There will be millions of dollars flowing through this community,” she said. “The county could get $350,000 back in permitting alone (that’s the amount budgeted). It’s not just a necessity for the school district and the children, but it’s a financial boon to the community. And it will provide spaces that are accessible to the community: shop space, a kitchen, a track, and the CTE building.”
Ballots are mailed Jan. 22 and due by Feb. 9. State law requires a 60 percent approval to pass school capital bond measures, and a simple majority for a levy. Between now and the end of Janaury, PTSA and the school board will both hold educational forums. Watch for dates and times.
