Proposition 2, the bond and levy measure in the
Highline School District, is a heated discussion again
for residents, staff and students of the school district.
The bond measure will go before the voters again on
the February 10th ballot. When first presented in
November, it was turned down by district patrons. The
new, trimmed down version was adopted and signed by
board members and Superintendent Susan Enfield on
Dec. 17, 2014. It was reduced by approximately $9
million. There is still debate within the community on
how the money will be handled and how much the tax
increase will actually cost.
Some of reduction can be attributed to a pushed up
building date for the replacement of Des Moines
Elementary at the Zenith site (16th Pl. S and S 240th St
in Des Moines). With an annual building cost rise of
two percent, this reduced the bond by $1.2 million.
There is also a plan to move 6th grade to middle
school, reducing the size of elementary schools.
At the Jan. 21 meeting to discuss the new middle
school at the Manhattan site, talk was general about
the proposal. Attendance was low, with only around 20
people in the audience.
At that meeting, Supt. Enfield started off by saying,
“This is the craziest system for schools that I could ever
comprehend,” saying that the state will only match our
tax dollars and does not just give us money for our
schools. “The only way to raise money is to raise our
taxes. It’s not a good system,” she added. The levy
portion of the proposal pays for the 21 percent shortfall
that the state does not cover.
Enfield left shortly thereafter, at about 5:15 p.m.,
saying she had a board meeting just minutes away at
Midway Elementary School. The board meeting was
scheduled for 6:00 p.m. The remainder of the meeting
was led by Scott Logan, Chief Operations Officer, and
Duggan Harman, Chief of Staff and Finance.
The presentation by both was informational and
repetitive as to what the bond and levy will do and
what may happen if it doesn’t pass. As noted by both of
them, the information is all available on the school
district website. There were no specifics on the
building plans for the new middle school.“Levies are
for learning and bonds are for building”
was a repeated statement throughout the discussion.
Logan did reiterate that with the formation of the
Citizen Oversight Committee, which was added to the
re-write of the proposal, “the community will have
ability to have open access to what we spend and how
we spend it.”
When asked about the enrollment under estimate for
the most recently built schools, which are now mostly
at capacity, Harman did not have a direct answer. He
stated the size was based on estimates by the district’s
demographer; and although they came up with a
low/medium/high number, they built at the medium
number and actual attendance was much nearer the
high. There was no definitive answer as to how they
would address this for the new schools to be built.
Jan. 22 meeting at Highline High
The following night discussion continued at the
Highline High School library in Burien, where students
volunteered to give tours of the tattered and worn
school. Enfield was in attendance for the entire meeting,
along with Board Directors Angelica Alvarez
and Susan Goding. This was a mediated Q and A
session.
Attendance was much higher, 60-70 people; the tone
was a bit more tense. Young and old gathered to ask
their questions, all of which had an opposing flare,
with exception of the students who seemed to just want
things fixed without regard to taxpayer costs.
Zee, a 10th grade student at Highline High School,
compared the school to an old worn out pair of shoes,
“You can still wear them and they're usable, but you’re
embarrassed by them,” she said.
Another 10th grade student, Katelyn, who suffers from
asthma, said her teachers have provided portable air
cleaners in her classrooms and that she has missed
school because of the mold in the building affecting
her health. She said, “It’s hard to learn in such an old
school.”
10th grader Benji asked if at the least the health risks
would be fixed if the bond doesn’t pass. He also shared
concerns about leaking bathroom plumbing.COO Logan
said there is a district-wide critical needs
list that would be referred back to if it fails again.
“Capital and Facilities will continue to monitor and do
everything we can to improve plumbing and quality of
life,” he said.
Many homeowners are concerned about the estimated
raise in taxes, which is based on a median home value
in the district of approximately $201,000. In theory this
would raise homeowner taxes about $220 per year, but
the more widely found number shows, statistically,
home values in the area are reaching closer to
$259,000-$279,000 according to World Media Group,
LLC.
With all the talk of cuts to the schools if the bond and
levy doesn’t pass, one question raised was, “what about
the district office staff?” A concerned parent asked
why they don’t take cuts from “the top down” instead
of impacting the students.
Enfield responded, saying that they have reduced staff
in the past; one elimination was the welcome desk
position at the door, a minimal reduction, but a
reduction.
After the meeting Harman said, “We [school district
will be the first to go if this bond and levy don’t
pass.”
With such a broad range of home rates in the school
district, it would be difficult to give an average annual
tax rate across the board that is fair and accurate.
“Raising our taxes is the only way we have to build
new schools,” Enfield said again, “I wish it were better,
but it’s not.”
Another concerned parent, who Enfield made it clear
that they had spoken on several occasions, asked about
plans for Evergreen High School whose library had
flooded several times this past fall. She also talked
about his classes having rat traps in them and not being
able to take gym class. Enfield’s answer was, “We
can’t fix everything at once.”
Kathy Reed, a resident of the area for over 40 years,
raised questions about the timeline of things and the
length of time it seems to her to be taking to complete
such basic needs. She said, “Two-and-a-half years, you
gotta get busy and do something,” commenting on
Enfield’s term as superintendent to the district.
There were many other parent and community
concerns raised, such as systemic safety for current
schools. One Normandy Park resident reminded the
audience and board that, “there’s gonna be a big one
and it’s all for nothing if the kids aren’t safe.” She
noted the Marvista Elementary School’s earthquake
emergency kit had been provided by the PTSA,
something that cannot be done by other PTSAs in the
district.
Logan reassured the audience that the new schools
would all be to systemic code, but made no mention of
plans for the existing schools.
A cost comparison was also raised by the audience,
bringing up schools in other districts that have been
recently rebuilt and cost much less. Scott Hodgins,
Executive Director of Capital Construction and
Planning said, “Our standards are a little higher than
other school districts and it’s going to save us money
in the long run.” The other school districts mentioned
were Bellevue and Federal Way, among others.
At the end of the Town Hall Meeting a few students
pointed out, to anyone who was interested, the defects
that the school has. Leaking ceilings, a large hole in the
ceiling and a bathroom door that was recently removed
when three girls were accidentally locked in because of
a faulty latch, were also pointed out by an alumnus.
The was originally built more than 90 years ago. Part
of the bond budget to rebuild the school is to keep
historical aspects of the building, as requested by
alumni and other community members. The exact
design has not yet been decided, but the cost to do so
has been factored in. Des Moines Elementary is nearly
the same age, but the school board says it will cost less
than to repair.
With so many possible cuts if this proposition doesn’t
pass, Enfield repeatedly answered what if questions
with, “We’ll do what we can with what we have.”
As Enfield said at the Manhattan meeting, “a smart,
thoughtful and responsible decision is needed.”