Decision nears on voter bond for Bainbridge schools

Published 2:58 pm Saturday, May 2, 2009

Since it began finalizing plans for a large capital bond last fall, the Bainbridge Island School District board has known passing the measure in a cold economy would be challenging.

School board president Mary Curtis said the district is taking on that challenge with a bank of information.

“It’s important for people to understand what this bond is all about, because it’s not immediately apparent that this is a good time for a bond,” Curtis said.

The district is asking voters to approve a $42 million bond issuance in the May 19 special election. The money would pay for a complete reconstruction of 55-year-old Wilkes Elementary School, as well as $10 million in district-wide capital improvements.

The new Wilkes would be constructed as a single, two-story building on the west side of the school’s grounds. The additional $10 million would pay for energy conservation projects, roofing, paving and general upgrades around the district.

In island-wide mailers and public forums, the school campaign’s message has hinged on two points: that the measure would keep taxes flat and that the public would be better served rebuilding Wilkes, rather than simply renovating the school.

If passed, the bond would be issued in two installments of $21 million, paid off over the next 20 years.

According to district consultant Dave Trageser of D.A. Davidson & Co., the new bond could be implemented without increasing taxes in 2010 because the district’s debt service for bonds had been scheduled to decrease significantly over the next several years. Debt service for the new bond would be phased in, keeping taxes roughly level for the next five years.

Estimating the debt service beyond that point is difficult because the rate depends on growth rates among other factors, Curtis said.

When it comes to the question of rebuilding, rather than renovating, the district says a complete rebuild would cut down on maintenance costs while creating a more modern learning space.

Wilkes is the district’s most costly building to maintain per square-foot, with Blakely Elementary a close second. Building a new school will save the district on repair and energy costs, District Capital Projects Director Tamela VanWinkle said. Maintenance costs are drawn from the operating side of the district’s budget, which pays for programming.

VanWinkle said the districts cost estimation consultant, Robinson Company, projected the cost of renovating Wilkes’ key systems would be more than 90 percent the cost of building a completely new structure. In part, that’s because renovation would require a contractor to tear into the floors and ceilings to reach faulty plumbing.

The school campaign has stressed that by passing a bond this year, the public can capitalize on low construction and materials costs brought on by the sagging economy.

The most outspoken critic of the bond has been islander Chris Van Dyk, who took on the measure in a debate sponsored by the League of Women Voters last Monday.

At the debate, Van Dyk said he believed Wilkes did not need an immediate rebuild, and said the school board was not offering enough guarantees for how it would spend the bond money.

The school district’s plans call for Wilkes to be rebuilt at a larger capacity than is currently needed for its student body. Van Dyk accused the district of overbuilding Wilkes in preparation for closing one of its two other elementary schools.

Curtis said building Wilkes to a larger capacity would give the district the flexibility to accommodate more students if enrollment increased or close one of its schools if enrollment declined significantly.

Van Dyk remarked that because of the recession the school district should be allowing its tax rate to decrease rather than filling it in with new bonds.

“There isn’t enough reason here; it’s been misstated; it’s a bad time,” Van Dyk said.

A school district fact sheet on the capital bond can be found at www.bainbridge.wednet.edu.

The campaign website is http://bipss.net.

Election Numbers

The school bond requires a 40 percent voter turnout with a 60 percent approval to succeed. The council-manager initiative requires a simple majority. Ballots must be postmarked by May 19.