ARLINGTON — School districts in Arlington and Lake Stevens are asking voters to again consider school measures that would update and construct buildings.
Election day is February 11. Ballot return rate as of Feburary 6 was 18.43% for the Arlington levy and 16.91% for the Lake Stevens Bond.
Arlington School District’s ask to taxpayers is a $75 million levy over six years. Lake Stevens School District, meanwhile, has a $314 million bond on the ballot. Arlington needs a simple majority to pass while Lake Stevens needs 60%.
Arlington tried two measures last year and both failed. The second, a levy attempt in November, narrowly failed with 47.3% of voters supporting the measure.
“Someone, when you were a child going through school, voted for your investment into the future,” said Gary Sabol, Arlington School District spokesperson. “So it’s that investment in the future, the investment in the community, and so I think those points are really important because we do take pride in our schools.”
The Arlington levy, which is cheaper than the last one, would replace Post Middle School, which was built nearly 50 years ago. The school has issues with its heating system, which has led to high CO2 readings in some classrooms. Post Middle School is also their most expensive school to maintain, Sabol said.
Arlington city council threw its support behind the district’s effort during a February 3 meeting. Council passed a resolution supporting the school’s effort.
“The City of Arlington hereby expresses its strong support for the Arlington School District’s efforts to provide safe, secure, and modern learning facilities for the benefit of students, teachers, staff, and the broader community,” the proclamation stated.
The last Lake Stevens bond saw 58.34% of voters support the measure. The bond on this ballot is for the same amount.
The bond would allow the district to build a new elementary school, modernize three other schools and build five new gyms. Mt. Pilchuck Elementary would also build a “secondary innovative learning center” at the school. The learning center would cost $27 million, and the hope is it could open up career opportunities for students across the district.
“We’ve had a lot of opportunities just to engage and meet with our community, so we feel like it’s going well,” said Jayme Taylor, a spokesperson for Lake Stevens School District. “We’re just providing information and encouraging people to vote and submit their ballots.”
Both districts are hoping to utilize state school construction money to supplement costs.
Ballots can be dropped off across Snohomish County or returned to mail boxes. Lake Stevens’ ballot box is near active construction close to the city’s downtown boat ramp. A second ballot box will be added once work is finished on the city’s new library, Taylor noted, but will not be ready for this election.
Jordan Hansen: 425-339-3046; jordan.hansen@heraldnet.com; X: @jordyhansen.
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