According to the Edmonds School District, Lynnwood High School needs to be replaced. Officials hope that enough voters agree.
On Feb. 7, the district’s voters will be asked to approve a $140 million bond measure that would fund construction of a new Lynnwood High. If it passes, the district can lease the site of current high school, which is next to Alderwood mall, and generate an estimated $140 million for other capital projects, including replacing three other schools.
But in order for the bond to pass, at least 40 percent of those who voted in last fall’s general election must turn out to vote. At least 60 percent of the people who do vote must also vote yes.
According to the Snohomish County Auditor’s Office, this means that at least 16,634 people must vote in on the bond measure and at least 9,981 of those must vote yes in order for it to pass. Roughly 60 percent of the district will vote by mail, according to the auditor’s office.
“I think that it will pass if voter turnout is consistent with other school elections,” Superintendent Nick Brossoit said.
School officials hope the $140 million bond will appeal to voters, because it will allow the district to leverage what could be approximately $140 million from land deals.
If voters approve the bond, the district would be able to build a new school on the east side of Interstate 5 to replace Lynnwood High School. By leasing the valuable land across from Alderwood mall where the current high school sits, the district could raise another $140 million for other projects. Replacing Alderwood Middle School, Madrona K-8 school and Lynndale Elementary are at the top of the list.
The Edmonds School District heard proposals from five potential developers of the land that Lynnwood High School currently sits on.
By Feb. 14, the district’s Board of Directors will hear a ranked order of which proposals would be best for the district, said Marla Miller, the district’s Executive Director of Business and Operations.
That is why the current bond proposal differs greatly from previous versions that failed in 2002 and 2003.
“The thing that I’m hearing is that people seem to like the fiscal responsibility and the potential of using the land resources,” Brossoit said.
Earlier this week, the district estimated rates per $1,000 of assessed valuation will be 13 cents in 2007, 27 cents in 2008, 77 cents in 2009 and 2010, and 33 cents in 2011.
As the Enterprise’s deadline approached, the Snohomish County Assessor’s office released figures indicating that voters will likely pay less than the district’s estimates. For updated information on what property owners will likely pay, contact the district’s community relations department at 425-670-7045.
Even that burden is too much, said Edmonds resident Kim Bridges.
“We have a home and we don’t need to pay more taxes,” she said. “I feel like the teachers should get more, but I feel like (school districts) need to be able to use what they have first.”
She said she would vote to approve a separate measure on the ballot that would renew the district’s operations levy, but opposes any new bond measures.
One voter said that she was unaware of any election at all. Lynnwood resident Jerry Anderson said she had not received any informational materials. Anderson, who is an absentee voter, did not receive a ballot as of Tuesday. Ballots were mailed on Jan. 18, according to county elections officials.
“I vote through the mail, but I haven’t read anything about it,” she said. “I really don’t know anything about the schools.”
Snohomish County Elections Supervisor Wendy Mauch said that she has not heard of ballots not arriving as scheduled. One issue the elections office has encountered, however, is people using a felt-tipped marker to fill the ballots in. Mauch advises that people use a pencil in order to avoid any errors.
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