Last night the Everett School Board voted to put a Capital Bond and a Replacement Levy on the ballot for voters in February. Here’s their rationale as posted on the district website.
Photo from Tracy Mitchell Twitter Feed.
Three reasons:
- Growth Readiness
- Career Readiness
- Facilities Readiness
Growth readiness: Everett Public Schools is the fastest growing school district in Snohomish County. Snohomish County is the second fastest growing county in the state. Pierce County and Snohomish County are the fastest growing counties in the nation! That’s a whole lot of growing going on!
The impact of growth is clear in schools with portable classrooms on site and congested parking lots and city streets during pick-up and drop-off times. In fact, the district’s 26 schools are home to 115 portables – most of those on schools in the district’s southern region where growth is accelerating fastest.
Among other things, bond funds will pay to build a new high school (the district’s fourth traditional high school), pay to add 38 permanent classrooms to schools district-wide to reduce class size and pay to buy land for future schools.
To see and hear enrollment growth challenges, stream this video off Google Drive or download to view on your computer.
Career readiness: Did you know our state will add 740,000 jobs in the next five years? That’s three times faster than the national average job growth!
But, according to a University of Washington research study, there is now a mismatch between the jobs opening and local residents seeking those positions. As a result, many local openings are filled by people from outside our region. Washington Roundtable members believe in the concept of “Washington jobs for Washington kids.” For that concept to be a reality, Washington high school graduates must go on to earn a postsecondary credential. Today, fewer than 1 in 3 do so.
The 2018 bond funds will pay to transform portions of each existing three high schools into high tech vocational learning and training centers. In these centers students will gain a head start on credentials that could enable them to live and work right here in our communities.
- Everett High’s vocational building will be transformed into Medical Professions learning and training facility
- Cascade High’s science building expanded to include high tech Aerospace and Advanced Manufacturing learning and training facilities
- Jackson High classrooms will be modernized to include high tech learning and training areas focused on Communications and Information Technology careers
- High School #4, slated to open within five years, will include high tech Energy and Sustainability learning and training facilities
Facilities readiness: Bond funds will modernize and refurbish aging school facilities — to extend their lives as community learning centers and protect the communities’ investment in schools.
Summary of Community Comments – March 30, 2017 Special Board of Directors Meeting
Future Capital Bond Planning – March 7, 2017 Board of Directors Meeting
Resolution 1163, approved by the board on November 21, 2017, authorizes the district to put the 2018 Replacement Educational Programs and Operations Levy on the ballot for voter consideration February 13, 2018.
Resolution 1164, approved by the board on November 21, 2017, authorizes the district to put the 2018 Capital Bond on the ballot for voter consideration Feburary 13, 2018.
The board also approved a levy vote…
EP&O Levies make up the difference between what the state pays to operate schools and what the actual, local costs are. Costs not fully funded by the state include early learning, summer school, extended day programs, teaching materials and equipment, transportation, music, art, drama, athletics and extracurricular activities, special education, professional training for staff, competitive staff salaries, STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs, gifted programs, ongoing facilities maintenance.
Everett Public Schools asks voters to renew an Educational Program and Operations Levy every four years to maintain school educational programs and services.
November 22, 2017
Everett Schools