This school district wants to double down on safety and security. Voters will decide
Voters will see Puyallup School District’s capital levy again in November.
“It’s still the same dollar amount as the proposition in February,” school district spokesperson Sarah Gillispie said.
Voters rejected the capital levy in the special election earlier this year. About 52 percent or 11,833 of the votes were “no” for the proposition. School district levies need a simple majority to pass.
The next election is Nov. 8. Pamphlets about the capital levy will be mailed to school district voters in October. The school board unanimously approved putting the levy on the ballot at a June 21 meeting.
This capital levy is still a six-year levy, collecting about $125 million total. That means property owners would pay an additional 67 to 82 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value each year. If the capital levy passes, the rate would be $0.82 in 2023, $0.79 in 2024, $0.75 in 2025, $0.72 in 2026, $0.70 in 2027 and $0.67 in 2028. That means the owner of a $500,000 home would pay $23 more in property taxes in 2023.
The difference from February is this capital levy will not allocate money for a new central transportation facility or revamp the current maintenance facility.
Gillispie said via email: “While we are still focused on consolidating our bus transportation facilities and upgrading our maintenance facility to create operational efficiencies, we are exploring different funding options and changes in project scope.”
Money allocated for those two items in the original levy will go someplace else if it passes this time.
“The voters narrowly rejected the previous levy, so we went back out to get community feedback,” Gillispie said. “We … determined that we needed to put more funds towards safety and security measures.”
The school district conducted a survey after the February special election, and got over 900 responses. Results show over 300 residents voted to prioritize safety and security within the school district.
About 43 percent of the levy funds would go to safety and security upgrades. This includes a monitoring system called security intrusion that detects and sends alerts about suspicious activity, cameras, alarms and fire protection systems. This also includes secure vestibules, which allow school staff to screen people who enter a building.
“The idea is to limit the number of entry points within a building and to funnel any visitor through to the front office,” Gillispie said.
Fruitland Elementary, Ridgecrest Elementary, Waller Road Elementary and Walker High School would get vestibules if the levy passes.
Ballou and Edgemont junior high schools as well as Brouillet, Hunt, Maplewood, Meeker, Shaw Road, Spinning, Woodland and Zeiger elementary schools already have vestibules on the way, funded by a $473,062 federal grant.
Emerald Ridge High School got a vestibule when it was constructed. A future bond is needed to help pay for vestibules at Puyallup and Rogers high schools, Gillispie wrote in an email.
The levy can’t pay for vestibules at PHS and RHS. The vestibules would cost more at those two schools because the entryways would need to be reconfigured, Gillispie wrote.
“These schools, however, still have one single point of entry for visitors who need to be buzzed in through a video and audio intercom system. All our schools have this. Safety vestibules are an added layer of protection,” Gillispie wrote.
About 28 percent of the levy funds would go to technology upgrades, ensuring that internet is accessible. This also includes technological device replacements and network cabling upgrades.
About 12 percent would go to building improvements, upgrading HVAC systems as well as lighting, flooring and roofing for many facilities. About 10 percent will go to outdoor learning spaces such as playgrounds and play fields. About 7 percent will go to site improvements such as for parking and traffic.
When asked what would happen if the levy does not pass, Laura Marcoe, assistant superintendent of business services, said: “Eventually there are projects that we would have to pay for out of the general fund.”
That would mean less money going into classrooms, Marcoe said.
“It’s critical that we have capital levy funding for some of these larger projects that are outside the realm of daily operations and maintaining the buildings,” Marcoe said.
Correction: An initial version of this article misstated which schools already have vestibules and which ones would get vestibules if the levy passes. Emerald Ridge High School was built with a vestibule. Puyallup High School and Rogers High School do not have vestibules, and the levy would not pay for them to be built at those schools. The article has also been updated to reflect that the owner of a $500,000 home would pay $23 more in property taxes in 2023 if the levy passes.
This story was originally published August 27, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
