SKSD to decide soon on $271M bond for Nov.

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, April 18, 2023

The South Kitsap School District is approaching the end of the community input period on its potential $271 million bond, which could be brought before the board within the next month.

The bond, which would appear on the November ballot pending board approval, was originally expected to be presented before the board in July. However, board president Jeffrey Wilson said the district has worked to make the major necessary changes and has done its “due diligence” on preparing the bond.

“We’ve done a lot of tweaks, and we’re at the point where the good news is we’re ahead of schedule,” he said. “So I think in terms of taking input on what the solution’s going to be, we’re coming to the time to take it to the board.”

The common complaint from voters about the large price tag made Rhonda Edwards wonder if consolidating some schools would be better in the long run, citing the short distance between some of them. She added, “Sometimes what you want, what you need and what you get are different.”

That want of a community school is still important to many in the community, board director Kate Espy said. “What you have to say makes perfect sense, but keeping those communities is really really important to those families,” she said.

The bond is aimed at rebuilding and remodeling several schools. That includes replacing South Colby ($50.7 million) and Olalla ($48.3) elementary schools; Cedar Heights Middle School ($83.6 million), and both Explorer Academy and Discovery High School ($26 million). South Kitsap High School would undergo major renovations, costing around $39 million.

Aside from the “big five” the district also touched on the $24 million to be used throughout the district at its latest community bond hearing April 17. Wilson, who led that evening’s presentation, explained that a comprehensive list of possible changes for the other schools had been put together according to their needs.

“What we’re trying to do is say, ‘How many of these bigger or most-impactful changes can we get done through this bond?’ which will allow us to do them quicker and sooner than if we waited to do them,” he said. “The goal is to have at least one improvement at each school that’s not being replaced.”

One such project is the drop-off and pick-up lots at Burley Glenwood Elementary to give buses improved access and increase safety. Also included was a paved parking lot and fencing to replace the dirt lot at East Port Orchard Elementary, which would additionally encourage use of crosswalks.

Director John Berg added that while these improvements would improve each school, not setting the ideas in stone prior to the bond’s first few years would be crucial. “We have to have some flexibility so that we can modify it in that three-year period before we get to the end. I think this is probably why you want to avoid having specific promises now because something with a higher priority could come up in two years.”