SOUTH WHIDBEY: School bond to be on ballot again [VIDEO] (SWR)
Kira Erickson reports for the South Whidbey Record from the South Whidbey School Board meeting of Wed., Jun. 14, 2023.
Nearly two months after the failure of an $80 million bond, the South Whidbey School Board has decided to move forward with another bond request, this time for the general election ballot.
The original request did not receive the required supermajority of 60% of “yes” votes in the April 25 special election, falling short at 58%.
School officials are seeking to fund maintenance and improvements at the district’s two main facilities, the middle school/high school and the elementary school’s north campus. Some of these projects include new siding, a roof replacement, the remodel of locker rooms and restrooms, repavement of parking lots and the installation of turf for the stadium field, among other things.
The last approved school bond proposal was in 1992.
They Said It
Superintendent Jo Moccia said some projects, like security upgrades, will be moving ahead whether or not a bond passes.
Members of the public weighed in on the aftermath of the bond’s failure. Many seemed surprised by how little they had heard about the bond prior to the special election; district staff pointed to the multiple school board meetings about it, in addition to an article in the South Whidbey Record. Moccia also said the district was trying to avoid being cited by the Public Disclosure Commission for using staff resources to promote the bond.
Some may view the high school/middle school courtyard makeover as an aesthetic improvement, but Board Member Joe Greenheron said he met a student who broke their ankle in the courtyard because of its state of disrepair.
Though the board considered separating the bond request into two or three different measures based on the urgency of individual projects, Moccia cautioned the board against parsing it out.
“When you provide that much choice, you will get what you ask for and then we have a building that we can’t occupy but a beautiful athletic facility,” she said.
On the Ballot in 2023
| SOUTH WHIDBEY SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 206 |
|---|
| Director, Position 1 Joe Greenheron, the incumbent |
| Director, Position 3 Brook Willeford, the incumbent |
| Director, Position 4 (At Large) Marnie Jackson, the incumbent |
| Proposition No. 1 General Obligation Bonds – $79,800,000.00 |
