After seriously considering putting a construction bond on the February ballot, the Tahoma School Board decided at the Tuesday night meeting to hold off a year before going to voters with the measure.
The board voted two weeks ago to put a technology levy on the February ballot, which would renew funding originally passed by voters in 2006 that is set to expire at the end of 2010.
At the Tuesday meeting, school district spokesman Kevin Patterson said, the board voted unanimously to place an operations and educational programs levy on the February ballot, as well. This is also a renewal of tax revenue that funds about 20 percent of the school district’s general fund.
“The operations and educational programs levy would collect $16.35 million in 2011, $17.38 million in 2012, $18.82 million in 2013 and $20.4 million in 2014,” Patterson said. “A change in how the state permits school districts to calculate levy collections will provide a higher levy than in recent years. The current school levy will collect $12.7 million in 2010.”
Additional local levy funds could be used to replace current and anticipated funding cuts by the state, Patterson explained, with any extra cash available for urgent building maintenance needs.
“The board decided to hold off on the construction and maintenance bond measure after receiving information from district staff that the latest demographic projections point to higher than expected student enrollment by 2019, which could mean the district would need an additional elementary school,” Patterson said. “The demographic information also indicates that enrollment growth will not happen as quickly as predicted two years ago, when a citizen committee (the Community Relations Committee) assembled recommendations for adding classrooms and remodeling schools as part of the proposed bond measure.”
Superintendent Mike Maryanski and Assistant Superintendent Bruce Zahradnik told the board enrollment trends will mean less space in 2014-2015 at elementary schools and “continue to climb through 2019-20, when there would be 489 students beyond current capacity.”
Tahoma Junior High will also have crowded classrooms by 2014-15 while the high school would reach its capacity by 2015-16, district officials said.
“What the (Community Relations) committee was seeing at that time with their work has changed significantly,” Maryanski told the board.
While the growth is expected to come, it is not an immediate need, but there will be a greater need for more classroom space eventually.
The superintendent suggested the board put off placing the bond measure on the ballot for now, but continue tweaking the proposal in order to be prepared for future enrollment and program needs through 2020.
Bill Clausmeyer, who serves on the board, said he understood why it was necessary to shift strategy at this point.
“We made the right call,” Clausmeyer said. “This is significantly different than what we have been dealing with the last few years.”
Board member Mary Jane Glaser added that while the district adjusts the bond measure it will be critical to reach out to residents of the district.
“We have an additional year to make our public aware of the needs we have identified,” Glaser said.
The bond measure was originally scheduled for the ballot earlier this year but the board decided in January to wait at least year due to the weak economy.
“Among the major items that would be addressed in the bond measure are adding classrooms at Tahoma High School and Tahoma Junior High, building a new Lake Wilderness Elementary School and reducing the usage of portable classrooms across the district,” Patterson said. “The bond measure also would pay for major maintenance projects, including roof and siding replacement, heating and cooling system repair or replacement, and other long-term maintenance needs.”
