Sequim city councilors voiced their support for Sequim School District’s proposed levy renewal and bond proposals in a special meeting on Jan. 22.
They voted 5-0 to send a letter of support for two propositions in a Feb. 11 special election. Councilor Nicole Hartman was excused from the meeting, but wrote an email expressing her support for the proposals. The city’s seventh councilor, Kathy Downer, resigned earlier in the month, and the council will consider appointee applicants to fill the vacant seat in another special meeting on Feb. 3.
Sequim School District voters will vote on whether to support a proposed four-year $36.2 million Educational Programs & Operations (EP&O) levy renewal and a $145.95 million, 20-year construction bond.
District staff said the new proposals’ combined rate with the 20-year bond ($0.91) and four-year levy rate ($0.94) would come to $1.85 per $1,000 of a property’s assessed value per year. That applies to residents in the school district from R Corner to the west, to Gardiner in the east, and Olympic National Park to the south.
According to the city’s letter of support, the levy “will ensure that critical financial support for the district continues to close the state funding gap.”
It continues to state that the levy will fund “athletics, music, and other activities that are valued by students and their families” and “assures that the district can provide essential programs such as special education services, school counseling, and nursing services where state apportionment is not keeping pace with rising costs.”
“(The bond) will allow the district to undertake a long-anticipated replacement and modernization of two of its schools — Helen Haller Elementary and Sequim High School — that are antiquated and do not meet current building and educational programming standards,” the letter states.
The bond proposal also asks to fund safety and security standards, provide Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility, upgrade Greywolf Elementary School, improve the district’s Transportation Center, and upgrade/improve athletic facilities and fields.
“When considering a place to live, one of the first things people consider is schools,” the letter states. “It is vital for Sequim, a community that needs to attract doctors, health care professionals, and other occupations to serve our growing population, to invest in modernized schools.”
Sequim Schools Superintendent Regan Nickels said in an interview the letter of support demonstrates a synergy with the city for pursuing a common goal: to have better facilities for the districts’ children, recognizing the economic contributions schools bring, and the increased livability for city residents.
Feedback
Councilor Dan Butler previously asked city leaders about pursuing options for supporting the levy and bond, which led to the special meeting. Legal notice of the meeting was made in the Peninsula Daily News on Saturday, Jan. 18.
No opponents of the proposals spoke at the meeting or wrote a letter to the city.
Only proponents, including parents, school district staff, an elected official, and community members spoke in favor of the project covering a range of topics, including the age of the facilities, cost of repairs, and Sequim’s ability to attract and keep skilled professionals.
Saralyn Pozernick, president of the Sequim Education Association and a high school teacher, said “the buildings we teach in are past their time.”
“Some examples are science labs which were built when the Vietnam War was still happening,” she said.
“We use those facilities to train the people who we hope will stay in our community and fulfill roles like nurses or medical technicians. We do that again in facilities that were planned and built 50 years ago … I think that our students deserve better.”
Dale Jarvis, a Sequim area resident, said he’s an avid home remodeler, and a tour of the school buildings “kind of freaked me out because what was in the buildings were things that I have torn out of remodel projects that I’ve done, like aluminum wiring, galvanized pipes, clogged sewer drains.”
“I looked at the electrical transformers in the buildings and it reminded me of when I did the underground tour of Port Angeles last November, where it looked like something out of the 1920s,” he said.
Jarvis said he understood people not wanting to pay more for taxes, “but this is a case where we really are back up against the wall.”
Sequim School Board director Michael Rocha said the school buildings have “reached a point where continued repairs are no longer feasible or cost effective.”
“Renovations alone would cost significantly more over time, leaving taxpayers with an even greater financial burden,” he said.
“The most practical solution is to replace these outdated facilities with modest, functional new buildings that meet the basic educational safety standards of today with the construction bond.”
Rocha said the estimated interest of $100 million may seem substantial, but “it is important to understand that by securing this bond at a favorable, tax-exempt interest rate projected between 4.5 to 5.5%, we are ensuring that the costs remain as manageable as possible.”
He said it will prevent higher costs in the future and be shared “by all those who will benefit from these improvements — our children, grandchildren, and even new residents who move to Sequim in the years to come that benefit from new buildings will share in its costs.”
“This approach is equitable and reflects our communities’ long-term vision,” Rocha said.
Members of the school district’s Long-Range Facilities Planning Committee, who made a proposal to the school board for the bond after months of research and meetings, also spoke to the council.
Troy Zdzieblwoski, a parent and committee member, said the district’s construction methods from the 1960s and 70s are now inefficient by today’s standards.
“It’s as if we’re driving a car with bald tires, the warning light flashing, parts that are no longer available, and the family doesn’t fit inside of it anymore.” he said. “If this were a car, we would be at the dealership right now shopping.”
Zdzieblwoski said the bond “addresses the most pressing needs of our facilities, with a consideration to its financial effect on individuals in the community.”
Nick Bell, another parent, said many families are considering where to live on the Olympic Peninsula and the quality of the schools is a big deciding factor.
“We need a clear signal that says, ‘you belong here in Sequim,’” he said.
“By passing these measures, our neighbors — whether they have children in the schools or not — can show that they wholeheartedly care about the welfare of all children in our community.
“This support also indicates an understanding that better schools lead to local prosperity, crime reduction, and healthier conditions for everyone.”
Council rules suspended
In order to discuss supporting the bond/levy, city councilors voted to suspend the council rules they adopted in 2023. Councilors had previously agreed to not consider requests from outside agencies to support or oppose ballot measures, not permit any public comment on any proposed or pending ballot issue, and not share ballot-related information in any city facility.
Councilors were split 3-2 with Deputy Mayor Rachel Anderson and Harmony Rutter voting against suspending the rules.
City Attorney Kristina Nelson-Gross said the motion passed because it’s not an ordinance, so it didn’t require a full council quorum.
Anderson and Rutter said suspending council rules sets a precedent and isn’t related to supporting the schools.
Anderson had previously sought clarity from the Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) about changing council rules to make endorsements, but did not receive a follow-up response by the meeting, she said.
Anderson said she values the partnership with the school district and believes better schools do factor into better opportunities and more qualified employees, but that the council must follow its rules “if you’re going to have them in an effort to stay trustworthy and unbiased and in an effort to stay in your own lane.”
She said if they don’t follow their rules, then they need to change them.
In a follow up interview, Anderson said she asked the PDC if they could change rules so that only taxing districts can ask for support of a ballot measure, and not an entity such as a hate group.
During the meeting, Anderson said she felt like a hypocrite talking about the proposals that will increase taxes when she’s voted against them in the past. She also said voters will “vote the way they intend to vote, regardless of council’s support or not.”
Before voting for the letter of support, councilor Vicki Lowe said her family has had four generations go through the school districts’ current buildings that have remained the same.
“(The administration building), that’s where my parents went to high school (and) I went to middle school in that building,” she said.
“These are really extenuating circumstances … their buildings are failing. So I really appreciate the opportunity for us as a body to support (the proposals). I think it’s important to our whole community, but especially to our children, and I, you know, just really appreciate the opportunity to be supportive.”
For more information about the district’s proposals, visit sequimschools.org.
Clallam County commissioners voted for resolutions to support the school district’s proposals on Dec. 31, 2024.