District continues education process heading to May 18
Published 1:34 pm Thursday, December 11, 2008
By Brenda Sexton, The Courier-Herald
"Vision building" is what J.J. Smith Elementary School Principal Susan Arbury calls the tours she's been leading for parents and staff to newer elementary schools in surrounding school districts.
As she walked with a handful of school district staff members through the hallways and classrooms of the White River School District's 10-year-old Mountain Meadow Elementary School recently she was snapping photographs and taking mental notes.
Arbury said she is visiting newer schools with parents and staff to give them a flavor of how things could be if Enumclaw voters approve a $45 million bond May 18 that would build a new J.J. Smith Elementary School. The total replacement cost for J.J. Smith at its current site is estimated at $12.8 million.
Some may say it's putting the cart before the horse, but Arbury said she thinks if community members can see, for example, the bathroom sink of a modern school with its electronic-eye system compared to the 50-year-old version at her school, they'd vote "yes."
"My hope is to build some excitement for the possibilities once we pass the bond," she said.
Joining Arbury was Byron Kibler Elementary School Principal Joe Jones, whose school will receive a $12.9 million modernization and addition if the bond is approved.
Other projects outlined for bond money include $597,000 worth of parking and roof upgrades at Southwood Elementary; $3.5 million of modernizing at Black Diamond Elementary; $5.9 million of modernizing and additions at Westwood Elementary; $4.2 million in roofing, mechanical system, fire alarm system, intercom/clock system and handicap-access upgrades at Enumclaw Middle School; $13.9 million of modernization at Enumclaw High, and $1.8 million in parking lot and road way improvements for McDougall Street, the transportation center and EMS.
Once passed and construction begins, the district anticipates receiving matching funds from the state of approximately $10 million.
District officials say the new bond will cost voters 79 cents per $1,000 assessed valuation. They figure an Enumclaw homeowner of a house of $188,000 would pay $148 extra a year.
In 2002, voters rejected a six-year $11.4 million capital levy which would have made a few of the listed improvements.
In May 2003, residents voted down a $42.9 million bond for the current items (except J.J. Smith would have been built on district-owned land near Thunder Mountain Middle School). The vote was close with 50.07 percent voting "no" and 49.93 percent saying yes, however, the district needs 60 percent or more to get approval.
Arbury thinks this time it will be a go.
She has also visited Sawyer Woods Elementary in Kent and Buckley's 16-year-old Foothills Elementary School.
On the recent tour at Mountain Meadow, Arbury was impressed with the shared, open work spaces off each cluster of classrooms. An area, she said, her school with its long hallways doesn't provide.
"Hallways are not good places for instruction," Arbury said.
Arbury said the J.J. Smith building is a limitation and also creates problems for popular programs like Magic Strings, a violin program, which has special acoustic and space needs.
"I think it's a given that otherwise this building is just worn out," Arbury said of the facility, which was built in 1957 with just 18 classrooms. Four additional classrooms were added in 1989. In 2002, the building received new doors and windows with approximately $215,000 left over from the bond to build Thunder Mountain.
"This old building depletes regular funds," she said. "That's something we won't see on site visits."
Arbury is also working with the bond committee, Committee to Support the Issues, to drum up support. Mike Runland and Brian Dunn are co-chairing the committee and have set up a Web site for information at www.4Rkids.net.
The group meets at 7 p.m. Wednesdays in the KeyBank community room. Arbury said the group has been working at registering voters and contacting area voters by phone and mailings. Members are also planning to canvas Plateau neighborhoods with pamphlets and information April 29, the day after absentee ballots are mailed.
School district administrators have been hosting informational meetings. The first, held on March 24 in the Enumclaw High library, was attended by no one. The second, held March 30, drew about 30 folks to J.J. Smith. The final meeting Thursday evening at the district office again drew no visitors.
Brenda Sexton can be reached at bsexton@cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/courierherald
