After the Kent School District’s $252 million bond measure failed by 218 votes in April, district officials ramped up their efforts to make sure voters understand the proposition on the Nov. 8 ballot.
“We have taken the approach to really reboot, to have a very solid informational campaign,” district spokesman Chris Loftis said. “We have not taken the attitude of we had 59 percent (approval). We took the attitude of we had 0 percent last time.”
In June, the Kent School Board agreed to place on the November ballot a measure identical to the one that narrowly lost in April.
The measure requires 60-percent-plus-one-vote approval and would be used to improve existing facilities and reduce overcrowding by replacing Covington Elementary School and building a new elementary school in the Kent Valley, as well as adding 20 new classrooms throughout the district.
The new Covington Elementary School would accommodate 700 students. The current school was built for 450 students in 1961, and now has about 517 students and three portable buildings.
A Citizens’ Bond Review Committee looked at 262 projects submitted by schools and the maintenance department and recommended 76 of those as top priorities.
Projects that would be funded by the bond include:
• $160 million to help reduce overcrowding with the construction of the two new elementary buildings and additional classrooms where needed.
• $26.4 million for safety improvements, including new fire alarms at eight schools, upgrading parking and drop-off zones at five schools, new door locks and hardware at five schools, and new ADA access ramps at seven schools.
• $24.3 million to increase energy efficiency, including upgrades to heating and ventilation systems at 11 schools and upgrades to energy management systems at nine schools.
• $23.6 million to remodel and upgrade schools, including renovations of outdoor athletic facilities at 10 schools.
By law, district resources cannot be used to promote the measure, but the district can run an informational campaign. Citizens for Kent Schools, a political action committee separate from the district, was formed to promote the bond issue.
The district sent a mailer explaining the measure to residents and also has information about the measure in additional languages, as well as information on how to register to vote, Loftis said.
“We certainly are doing more this time around – internally and externally – letting people know that bond is coming,” he said.
To better inform residents of the measure, Loftis said the district looked at the most common questions people had with the April bond issue.
One of the concerns voters had in the previous election was whether their taxes would increase if the measure is approved.
“These new bond will replace ones that are sunsetting,” Loftis said. “This is effectively not a tax increase. A lot of people did not understand that before. Obviously, we had not made it clear enough.”
The current levy for the Debt Service Fund is $1.41 per $1,000 of assessed property value.
The district also plans to send a reminder to voters to return their ballots.
“We have done that in the past,” Loftis said. “But we didn’t do that in the spring”
The deadline to register to vote for the November election is Monday, Oct. 10. Ballots will be mailed Wednesday, Oct. 19, and must be returned by Tuesday, Nov. 8.
District officials, including Superintendent Calvin Watts, have been meeting with various employee groups in the district to spread the word about the upcoming election.
“We have hundreds of new employees each year,” Loftis said. “We want to make sure employees know.”
Loftis encouraged district residents to visit the ksdbond.org. Anyone with questions, can call the Community Connections Office at 253-373-7524.
“If they have questions, we will find an answer,” Loftis said. “It is not an imposition. That is what we are here for. We want people to have the knowledge they need to cast the vote they are comfortable with. We will spend whatever time is necessary to do that.”
