BATTLE GROUND, Wash. — Battle Ground Public Schools hopes the third time will be the charm for school construction funding, as the school board voted 4-1 Wednesday to again put a bond measure before district voters.
The decision comes little more than a week after Battle Ground voters rejected a $224.9 million bond measure, which would have paid to replace schools, build a new school and improve campuses.
But expect deja vu on your next ballot: the school board decided in a special meeting it would, for the second time, ask voters to approve that same $224.9 million bond measure in an April 24 special election.
The district has cited growth and aging facilities among the reasons for needing the construction bond.
A recent enrollment study conducted by Vancouver firm E.D. Hovee and Company Economic and Development Services suggests the district could add between 1,535 and 2,735 students over the next decade, for a total headcount of between 14,650 and 15,852. Most of that would be focused at primary schools, especially Glenwood Heights Primary at the southern end of the district. There, the company projects another 378 to 445 students.
Glenwood and its next-door middle school, Laurin Middle School, are among those tapped for replacement in the bond.
Superintendent Mark Ross said he hoped the district would ride momentum from the February election to see a winning race.
"We know now with the projections from our enrollment study there is an increase in homes coming in," Ross says.
If approved, the bond would pay for the same slate of projects proposed in this month's failed bond measure. They are:
- Replace Glenwood Heights Primary School, Laurin Middle School, and Pleasant Valley Primary and Middle School.
- Build a new primary and middle school campus at the southern end of the district on 152nd Avenue.
- Develop an Alternative Learning Experience school -- the district's CAM Academy -- on district-owned land.
- Replace some buildings at Prairie High School.
- Renovate one building and the gym at Amboy Middle School.
- Replace flooring and improve student recreation at some campuses.
- Improve technology access.
- Improve security and safety at all campuses.
The latest election results from this month's election, released Tuesday, show the Battle Ground Public Schools' last run and the amount failed with 58.67 percent, garnering 9,606 yes votes of the 16,374 cast. School bonds require a 60 percent supermajority to pass. Had about 219 of those no votes flipped, the bond would have passed.
This will be the third bond vote in 18 months for the district, which asked for an $80 million bond in November 2016. That measure failed with 55.43 percent of the vote.
School board director Mavis Nickels asked what could happen if the bond doesn't pass. The answer to that, however, is unclear. Ross said the district will discuss that in open meetings next month but has previously said the district could consider boundary changes.
"I don't reckon it would be pretty," Nickels said.
School board director Troy McCoy cast the only no vote against the request, saying he's worried the board is going out for a vote too soon after last week's measure failed.
McCoy is worried that people will vote based on their spring tax bill, which will be elevated due to increases in the state schools tax under last year's McCleary decision. While tax bills for schools are expected to drop in 2019 after local levy rates are dropped and capped at $1.50, McCoy worries voters "will not understand their taxes will go back down."
"We don't know exactly what that's going to look like," he said. "I think we need time for more education."
