Early results in for bond measures in these overcrowded Pierce County school districts
Early election results Tuesday night showed whether two East Pierce County School Districts are passing bonds that would let them build new schools and improve others.
Voters are approving the Sumner-Bonney Lake School District’s $732 million proposal. 13,157 votes (62 percent) are for it and 7,948 votes (38 percent) are against it. It needs 60 percent to pass. The Pierce County Auditor’s Office shows turnout at 59 percent.
The Orting School District’s $119.2 million bond is failing. 4,312 votes (57 percent) are to approve it and 3,303 votes (43 percent) are to reject it. It needs 60 percent to pass. Turnout is at 61 percent, according to the Auditor’s Office.
The next batch of election results is expected to drop at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
While other school districts across the state are shrinking as enrollment declines and they face the prospect of closing schools, both Sumner-Bonney Lake and Orting officials say they’re bursting at the seams.
School district leaders say they’re running out of space and that their student populations are still on the rise.
The voters’ pamphlet didn’t have a statement against either bond measure.
Sumner-Bonney Lake School District bond
SBLSD’s population is about 10,500. It’s grown about 18 percent in the past 10 years.
At Bonney Lake High School, some classes are held in common areas that are essentially hallways. Tehaleh Heights Elementary School, which is 6 years old, has eight portable classrooms.
The $732 million bond would upgrade and expand Sumner High School and Bonney Lake High School, build a new middle school in Tehaleh and expand Tehaleh Heights Elementary, among other projects.
If voters approve the 21-year bond, the district has said the property tax rate homeowners pay to fund schools would essentially stay the same, at an average of $4.63 per $1,000 of assessed value for the next five years because other bonds are expiring.
School Board president Erin Markquart told The News Tribune Tuesday night that she was cautiously optimistic about the early results.
“At the moment, based on the results we have, I am giddy,” she said. “I am so proud of the committee that was formed a year ago, the capital facilities committee that really dove in and built a bond package that really reflected the needs of the district and the hard work that they did around studying that.”
She said she was also proud of the volunteers who spread the word about the bond.
“They understood the challenges with growth that we’re experiencing and were able to communicate that to our community through really transparent means,” she said. “They worked tirelessly to get the word out, every weekend, knocking on doors. They made phone calls, mailers. They worked really hard to communicate to our community what the needs were and that we needed their support.”
If the measure passes, a bond oversight committee will be assembled with staff and residents, she said, to oversee the work.
“We’re going to be able to move forward and have some great spaces for our kids,” she said. “It’s an exciting time in our district for sure. I’m feeling very grateful.”
Orting School District Bond
The Orting School District has about 2,880 students, which it says is about 40 percent over capacity.
It expects to have more than 5,000 students by 2033.
“We are encouraged that the preliminary results show we have the majority of support from our community,” school district spokesperson Brittany Piger said in a statement Tuesday night. “We remain optimistic as the final votes are counted. We thank our supporters and everyone who engaged in this process, and we look forward to the positive impact this measure could bring to our schools and the future of Orting.”
Roughly half the students at Orting Elementary School are in portable classrooms, and there are 47 portables in the district.
The $119.2 million bond would build a new Orting Elementary School, build an addition to Orting High School for career and technical education, expand gym and cafeteria space at Ptarmigan Ridge Elementary, make safety upgrades across the district and improve school HVAC systems, among other things.
This is the fourth time the district has tried to pass the measure. The district has made cuts to projects included in the bond since it first put it before voters in February 2023.
Now the 20-year bond would cost homeowners $1.51 per $1,000 of assessed property value, which is $755 a year for the owner of a $500,000 home.
Eddie Jezek Jr., who was part of the committee that wrote for the “for” statement in the voters’ pamphlet, said via email Tuesday night that the early results were disappointing.
“I was raised in a home that voted yes on every school bond and levy ever put on a ballot, because my family believes that the most important responsibility of American citizens is to create a better country for the generation that follows them,” Jezek wrote. “I am at a loss for words as to why anybody could in good conscience cast a no vote and intentionally limit opportunities for the children of our community, it’s very disappointing.”
The undervotes for the measure, in particular, are one of the disappointments, Jezek said. Those are voters who cast a ballot, but didn’t vote on the bond. If those 411 voters had instead voted in support of the bond, the measure would be at 58 percent, Jezek said, closer to passing.
“Our schools are approaching 150% capacity, and the students are being made to learn in unsafe, overcrowded, and subpar conditions,” the email said. “... I understand that there are still around 5,000 registered voters’ ballots not received and there may still be ballots in the mail, and I am hopeful that those ballots will take us over the finish line.”
News Tribune archives contributed to this report.
This story was originally published November 5, 2024 at 8:23 PM.
