Othello residents asked for opinion on school bond
Cheryl Schweizer/Columbia Basin Herald Athletes on the state champion Othello High School unified soccer team were recognized at Monday’s Othello School Board meeting.
OTHELLO — Othello School Board members reviewed a survey this week that will ask district residents their opinions on possible construction bond proposals. The survey will be accessible through the district’s website and its Facebook page from July 26 through Aug. 3.
Board members have voted to offer a construction bond to district voters in February 2018, but which projects will be included in that bond is still to be determined. District patrons will be asked their opinion on the options.
After a series of community meetings, district administrators recommended a project list that included a new elementary school (kindergarten through fifth grade), a new middle school (sixth through eighth grade), remodeling the existing Othello High School and a new athletic complex.
District patrons will be asked to consider which of those projects they want in a February 2018 bond and which might be included in a second bond.
Because the state’s 2018-20 capital budget – which includes school construction funding – is in limbo, how much the bond would cost local taxpayers is still uncertain. The draft survey presented to the board estimated local cost between $55 million and $66 million for all projects.
Board members, however, want to know if district patrons are interested in breaking the project up into multiple bonds.
Options include all projects in one bond, or breaking the project up into two bonds (or more). In that case the bond for a new K-5 elementary and 6-8 middle school would be in 2018, with the OHS remodel to follow. The athletic complex could be included in the OHS bond, or in a separate bond. Or the athletic complex might not be part of the project at all. Board members want to know the opinion of district patrons on any and all of those options.
Board member Tony Ashton said board members, when they talk about the bond project, need to ensure district patrons know that splitting the project into two bonds won’t slow down construction.