School vote splits Snohomish

SNOHOMISH — Denny Perrigoue knows tradition, and he knows Snohomish.

The town’s so old and steeped in history that he’s called it home for 40 years and still considers himself a newcomer.

He drives his pickup through the Highlands, one of several sprawling developments with rows of two-story homes south of the Snohomish valley, and shakes his head.

"I hate to say it, but this is not us," he said.

Old vs. new.

Tradition vs. change.

Want vs. need.

They all apply as the Snohomish School District and the city struggle with growth.

They’ll all converge when voters go to the polls May 18 to decide whether their community has become large enough to justify a second high school, changing what has been for more than a century the quintessential one-high-school town.

"The thing about the new high school is it’s really needed, but this is a town of tradition. It will cause a split here," said Michael Goodwin, a 35-year-old hairstylist and a Snohomish High graduate.

"If you build a new high school and all the people in town are paying for a new high school out there, it’s going to be controversial," Goodwin added, referring to the new high school site near Clearview. "On the flip side, (Snohomish High School) is not big enough. You’re never going to be able to please everyone."

The $141.6 million bond proposal will bring more than a new high school. It also calls for a modernization of Snohomish High School, a new elementary school, and safety improvements and maintenance at other buildings.

U.S. flags line First Street in Snohomish as people walk past storefronts of antiques shops and restaurants. This is old Snohomish.

Nature provides a significant buffer between old and new.

The valley to the south is a flood plain that can’t be built on, and the same is true for the soft soil that separates Snohomish from Everett to the west. Rural hillsides run along the north and east, where some of the dwindling number of working farms remain.

But natural boundaries have given way to the financial need to consolidate, as 12 smaller school districts — including Machias, Cathcart and Maltby — were folded into the larger Snohomish district.

Now, urban growth boundaries dictate that, despite the valley, areas to the south such as Cathcart and Clearview are now part of the Snohomish School District.

"The school district boundaries go out to that area, and we need to serve them," Snohomish Superintendent Bill Mester said. "That doesn’t mean we’re going to lose the small-town feel of Snohomish."

Perrigoue, who sells real estate, thinks the Clearview area should merge with Mill Creek and Maltby to form a new school district because the area has grown so much.

"I’m not too sure, at this point, which is the tail and which is the dog," Perrigoue said. "Now it’s like a two-headed dragon. I don’t think that makes much sense."

"As our population grows, we should every 20, 30, or 50 years redo school district boundaries so they seem to fit better.

"Or do we just keep going like this with a broken toy?"

Phil Bastian, 48, lives on the hill south of the valley. He and his family have been there since 1985 and specifically chose their home because it was in the Snohomish School District.

Bastian was co-chairman of the 35-member advisory committee that recommended building a second high school and other moves in the next 10 years to deal with growth.

While Bastian, an attorney in Everett who admits he does half his shopping in Everett, said he feels an attachment to Snohomish. "And I think most of the people on the hill feel the same way," he said. "There’s a great deal of loyalty."

He said that, particularly because Cathcart Way now extends to Highway 9, getting into town is relatively easy. "It’s a short, very convenient run," he said. "We feel connected, and we want to be connected."

Numbers show the southern part of the district holds its own in terms of school support. Mester estimates that nearly half of the assessed property valuation is in the south.

Also, in the district’s 2002 vote for a maintenance and operations levy, which makes up about 20 percent of the district’s budget, a higher percentage of "yes" votes came from the south.

Amanda Tro, 29, lives east of town and has a kindergartner and second-grader in Snohomish schools. Her husband graduated from Snohomish High, but she’s only lived in the area for a year.

Taking a break from her job at a restaurant on First Street, she said of the area to the south: "They have a Snohomish address, so they’re in Snohomish. But I can totally see how the locals down here would see them as separate."

Either way, she said it’s to everyone’s benefit to build another high school.

"I don’t want the classes to be so huge," she said. "If it’s closer to home for everyone, then why not have another one? It might be better for their community over there. They might maybe start their own tight-knit community."

Snohomish School District has three elementary schools and a middle school south of the valley. Most of those students trek across the valley to Snohomish High School, which district officials say is bursting from overcrowding.

There are about 1,950 students on a campus designed to accommodate no more than 1,800 students.

The irony Mester sees in the small town vs. new school debate is that splitting the high school would decrease traffic in the town.

"The main thing I hear from people in town is that there are too many kids driving in the area, parking and filling the streets," Mester said. "With a new high school, it won’t be so overrun."

Goodwin said, "I hate to split up that tradition." But he said he will vote for the new high school, and thinks many longtime residents will find themselves in a similar struggle.

"It will come down to tradition," he said. "I’d like to say it would come down to money, but this is an old town. It’s a big deal."

Reporter Victor Balta: 425-339-3455 or vbalta@heraldnet.com.

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