Sequim Gazette staff
After seeing a $49.5 million school construction bond proposal fall short of the 60 percent standard required to approve it, Sequim school advocates are considering if and when to go back to voters with another plan.
“We feel the message was correct — it’s still the right package,” Jim Stoffer, chairman of Citizens for Sequim Schools’ bond campaign committee, said. “I don’t know how we could really take anything else off of it. The needs still are there.”
The 20-year bond would have, among other projects, paid for land and the building of a new elementary school, added four classrooms, a gym and service kitchen at Greywolf Elementary School, added six science classrooms and band/choir rooms at Sequim High School and pay for the tearing down an unused portion of the Sequim Community School.
Stoffer said members of the Citizens for Sequim Schools group will look at election data — particularly at voting participation by Sequim voters who are of parent/guardian ages — before offering to the Sequim school board of directors any kind of proposal for ballot consideration.
On March 2, Stoffer offered to the school board some statistics the group has gleaned from the Feb. 10 special election: Of the 3,319 Sequim-area residents of traditional parent/guardianship ages, 1,858 of those are eligible registered voters in Clallam County.
Stoffer said if 315 voters in the Feb. 10 election had switched from “no” votes to “yes” the bond would have met the 60-percent mark.
“One of our big concerns is running up against a levy,” Stoffer said, noting that Sequim’s current programs and operations levy runs out in 2017. He said he doesn’t want to see Sequim in the same position the Port Angeles School District was in this February with a bond and a levy package going to voters at the same time. (Port Angeles’ levy earned approval but bond failed with less than 50 percent of the overall vote.)
Sequim saw about 57.5 percent of the voters in the district approve the plan but school construction bonds in Washington need a “super majority” of 60 percent to meet approval.
State lawmakers recently passed on a constitutional amendment that would’ve lowered the threshold for passage to a simple majority. The measure, authored by Rep. Mia Gregerson, D-SeaTac, and Rep. Dick Muri, R-Steilacoom, was removed from the Education Committee agenda the night before it was due for a vote, just before the panel was due to report bills to the full House.
“This is the only way we can build schools, is with a bond,” Stoffer said. “I think the
(Sequim) results indicate it was favorable by the community.”
Sequim schools superintendent Kelly Shea said he is at a loss for how to connect more with voters.
“Our facility needs are still there — we’ll just continue to add to the list,” Shea said. “We cannot just fold up the tent and call it good. Our kids deserve more than that.”
Stoffer said Citizens for
Sequim Schools is open to assistance with future campaigns.
See www.facebook.com/CitizensForSequimSchools or e-mail citizensforsequimschools@gmail.com.
