A few more answers on the April 22nd Bond measure

I'm always asking questions! From an email send Friday, April 4th to Kathryn Reith, Communications Director, LWSD.

Answers in italics:

I know it’s the Friday before spring break, but I have a couple more questions.

1)  How much is the special “election” voting costing the District?  What does a regular issue/vote cost (the one in February for instance) 

Election costs can vary based on how many other jurisdictions are running measures and how many issues are on the ballot.  A typical February election costs about $200,000.  We are able to split this cost between our capital fund and our general fund.  It is hard to estimate how much the April election will cost since we will be sharing the costs with King County who is also running a measure.

We run our levy elections in February because of the district's financial year and the state’s rules on levies. Keep in mind that levies are collected on a calendar year basis and the district's budget/financial year runs from September to August, essentially on a school year basis. You cannot run a levy measure for collection more than one year later. So a measure passed in 2014 must begin collection in 2015. If we ran the levies in November of 2013, collection must begin in 2014. But the 2013-14 budget was developed in the spring of 2013, approved by the board in August 2013 and put into effect in September of 2013. We must be sure of our funding before that budget starts: voting in November would mean we had already started the budget year without being sure of the 2014 part of the levy funding. Voting in February 2014 for a levy that begins in 2015 works well for the funding cycle. Budgeting for the 2014-15 school year starts in spring 2014 and the school board must approve that budget by August 2014. That allows levy funding for both 2014 and 2015 to be confirmed before the financial year begins. Unfortunately, that also means we sometimes are alone on the ballot, or share the ballot costs with one other entity.

2)  Can you give me a rundown of the building bonds over the past 15 years?  What I’m looking for is how much money per bond was requested, if it passed or failed, what schools/developments the $$ was used for in each case.

2006 modernization bond: $436 million, for modernization of Lake Washington High School, Finn Hill Jr. High, Rose Hill Jr. High, International Community School, Community School, and Bell, Frost, Keller, Muir, Rush and Sandburg Elementary Schools, plus construction of a new elementary school on the Sammamish plateau (now Carson Elementary). All these projects have been built. The district did not need the full $436 million requested so $12 billion in bonds were never sold. 

2010 modernization/new schools bond: $234 million: for two new elementary schools, additions at Redmond and Eastlake High Schools, new choice middle school, modernization of Juanita High School. This measure did not pass. 

2011 construction levy: $65.4 million 6-year construction levy for additions to Redmond High and Eastlake High and the new STEM School. Passed. All three projects are completed.

February 2014 bond: $755 million for three new elementary schools; one new middle school; two choice high schools (STEM school on the Juanita High School campus and an internationally-focused school on the east side of the district); additions at Lake Washington High School and Eastlake High School; modernization of Juanita High School, Kamiakin Middle School, and Kirk, Mead and Rockwell Elementary Schools. This measure did not pass.

April 2014 bond: $404 million, current ballot. For three new elementary schools, one new middle school, one choice high school (STEM high school on the Juanita High campus), an addition at Lake Washington High School and modernization of Juanita High School.

I’m going to post the answers/responses to my earlier questions on my blog today.  Thank you as always for answering my questions.