Three Yakima Valley school districts plan to ask voters to approve bonds or levies for construction projects in November.
East Valley School District voters will be asked to approve a capital tax for middle school building expansions. Union Gap and Mabton school districts will put security and construction guarantees on the ballot.
Districts provide figures on how much the tax is expected to cost property owners annually, but officials stress that they are estimates. Approve or vote against the amount collected during the gold period.
For bonds, districts are given a certain number of years to pay off the bond as it matures. Some districts pay off bonds years before the deadline.
Bonds are typically used for large projects, according to Jacob Tate of the Yakima County Assessor’s Office. A supermajority vote of 60% of voters is required for the bond to pass. A simple majority is required for collection.
Ballots will be mailed around October 21st and must be returned by November 8th.
East Valley
The East Valley School District is seeking a two-year capital tax to fund the expansion of the commons area at East Valley Central Middle School, according to Yakima County Elections Office documents.
Up to $2.5 million will be collected in 2023 and $2.65 million in 2024, according to election materials. That’s about $1.03 per $1,000 of a person’s property value in 2023, and he’s $1.02 in 2024.
The funds will be used to add 7,800 square feet of commons area that can accommodate over 600 students.
On Thursday, October 6, 2022, at East Valley Central Middle School in Yakima, students run to leave common areas and make space outside.
School officials say the current space cannot accommodate the size of the students. In middle school, he conducts three lunchtimes to accommodate all students, but due to overcrowding, some students are still sitting in the halls and outdoors, while others are standing during lunch.
According to East Valley Superintendent Russ Hill, students use the commons area for lunch or as a practice space for activities such as drill teams. Once used for school dances, open houses and other events, the space is no longer open to everyone.
Overcrowding is due to increased enrollment in school districts, Hill said. The middle school has about 200 more students than when the commons was built more than 15 years ago, according to district tax data.
mabuton
The Mabton School District is seeking voter approval to issue a $12.8 million bond to fund the expansion and renovation of Mabton Middle School. The bond matures over 25 years. According to the district’s bond information webpage, the approximate tax rate is $2.61 per 1,000 appraised value of personal property.
Superintendent Joseph Castile said the construction project will allow schools to stop relying on mobile classrooms to house middle school students. These buildings, which he thought were temporary, have been in use for 20 years and are aging, he said.
The project also includes improving campus security. The school kitchen will also be upgraded. Castilleja said the school now uses heated kitchens that are ready to serve pre-cooked food. All food from scratch is made and brought in off the elementary school premises.
Castilleja said students will continue to use the existing high school while construction is underway.
Mavton Seeks Voter Approval for Middle School Addition.old high school won’t come back
The Mabton Board of Education considered purchasing and renovating the old Mabton High School building, but after gathering public input, finally decided to plan an addition to the current high school.
union gap
The Union Gap School District is seeking a bond for improvements to its secondary gymnasium and campus, including security systems, controls at building entrances, parking upgrades, and new playground equipment.
If voters approve the bonds, the district could issue up to $9.655 million in bonds over 18 years, according to election documents. That’s about $1.43 per $1,000 of annual personal property valuation, according to the district bond flyer. This is the same tax rate as the district’s previous bonds, which expire at the end of the year, said Lisa Gredvig, superintendent of education at Union Gap.
Gredvig said the bond would allow the district to significantly improve the security of office areas for visitors. The campus also needs more parking and storage space than it currently has, she said.
FILE — Katie Pottenger, one of Union Gap School’s two gym teachers, plays a mushroom ball in the Union Gap School gymnasium in Union Gap, Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022. is monitoring. Classes should be combined for physical education.
This school caters for preschool through 8th grade. The auxiliary gymnasium means that different age groups can be more easily separated during physical education classes, says Gredvig.
A similar bond proposal was rejected by 46% of voters in the February special election.
Gredvig said he was optimistic about the bond’s passing in November and believes this election will attract more voters compared to the special election in February.
