Meridian School Board to put $17 million bond on February ballot

KIRA COX - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

E-Mail

Print Reprint

Text Size:

tool goes here

LAUREL - The Meridian School District is again asking voters to approve a bond to repair aging buildings in the district.

The Meridian School Board unanimously approved putting a $17 million bond measure to voters on the Feb. 9, 2010, ballot during a school board meeting Wednesday night, Oct. 21. The bond would be used to rebuild much of Meridian High School and to expand Irene Reither Primary School.

If the bond passes, the district also would receive $11.1 million in state matching funds for the two construction projects.

JOSIE LIMING | THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

The 20-year bond would raise current property taxes in the district by 2 cents per $1,000 of a home's assessed value, which means a home assessed at $300,000 would pay an extra $6 each year.

The small increase is because an existing bond is being paid off at the end of 2009, and district property owners will no longer be taxed for it. In 2009, the existing bond cost property owners 99 cents per $1,000 of assessed value.

"What is rolling off in January would roll back on if we pass this," Superintendent Tim Yeomans told the school board.

Including the district's voter-approved maintenance and operations levy, which is increasing by 10 cents next year as outlined in the 2008 ballot measure, property taxes would be about $3.60 for every $1,000 of assessed value, or about $1,080 each year for a home assessed at $300,000.

If approved, the bond would allow the district to build a new academic building at Meridian High School to replace Old Main. The 1920s era building has structural issues, with posts propping up the ceiling in some classrooms, and severe energy efficiency problems due to aging boilers and calcified pipes.

The new building would be constructed while students attend school in Old Main, and then the aging building would be demolished after everyone moved over, possibly in the fall of 2012.

The gym, Performing Arts Center and art room would be left standing.

At Irene Reither Primary School, the bond would allow for an 8,000-square-foot addition, which would replace the portable buildings some classes are now taught in.

This is the second time the district is asking voters to approve a bond to majorly renovate Meridian High School. In March 2008, the district put a $23 million bond measure in front of voters and received about 52 percent of the vote. School bonds must have a supermajority, or 60 percent approval, to pass.

School board members and district officials have been discussing a possible bond measure for months. During community meetings in the winter and spring, they heard from voters that for a bond to pass, it would need to have little impact on the tax rate and should address problems across the district, rather than just at the high school.

To gauge voters' views on the bond, the school board did a large-scale survey over the summer and discovered that about 54 percent of respondents would be supportive of a $20 million bond.

Even though they don't have the guaranteed 60 percent "yes" vote for the bond, school board members see now as an ideal time to try again since construction costs have plummeted, bond ratings are low, existing debt is being paid off, the bond is $6 million less than the last one and more state matching funds are available than before due to an increase in district enrollment.