SOUTH WHIDBEY: School bond statement missing from voters’ guide (SWR)

Kira Erickson reports on the South Whidbey School Board’s bond measure campaign for the South Whidbey Record.

Due to missed deadlines and miscommunication, a statement of support for the South Whidbey School District’s $79.8 million bond measure is conspicuously missing from the Island County voters’ pamphlet.

It was the second problem with the guide brought to light in recent weeks, but this time the error appears to be the fault of a group that supports the bond.

They Said It

According to Island County Auditor Sheilah Crider, no “argument for” statement for the bond was received from the pro-bond committee by the submission deadline, which this year was May 26, one week after the close of candidate filing week. Crider said repetitive attempts by the Island County Elections Office to contact the committee by email and phone were made to remind them of the deadline. She added that the rules for submitting statements for the voters’ guide are strictly governed by the Revised Code of Washington, and no exceptions are authorized.

Yet Betsy Hofius, one of two members of the pro-bond committee, said she was not aware of the May deadline until a Record reporter told her this week. On July 24, she erroneously submitted the “argument for” statement to an incorrect email address, but said she never received a bounce back message letting her know that she had sent it to the wrong address. In addition, she said she didn’t receive any communication from the county elections office that said she was late in submitting the statement.

Though voters won’t see this statement in the guide, a group of parents and grandparents who support the bond measure have endeavored to produce a post card that will be mailed to every household located within the school district boundaries.

“It’s a pretty big, bad thing to happen for the bond effort, for there to be no pro statement in the voters’ pamphlet,” said Katie Shapiro, who is part of the group. “It makes it seem like nobody cared to submit something, which is really not true.”

On the Ballot in November 2023