The West Valley School District has some big building plans, but only if voters agree to pay for them.
West Valley has two measures on the February 13 ballot, including a $92 million bond issue, says Superintendent Kyle Rydell.
“We are a 20-year bond district. Our district passed a bond back in 2004. The main projects of that were the high school. The high school is a beautiful building, still fully functioning, great architecture and design that went into that building,” he said.
Several other projects that were part of that bond issue have also been completed.
Rydell says it’s now time for the next bond. He says a 51-member committee toured the district’s schools, and some of the newer facilities in neighboring districts “to look at what is the new design of a new building in today’s education.”
The committee recommended four projects. The number one priority is to replace an aging Centennial Middle School.
“Our middle school is one of the middle schools that’s left in the Spokane region that have not been touched, whether it be renovated or built new,” he said.
Rydell says the district also wants to provide new homes to two of its project schools, the City School middle school program and Spokane Valley High School, and put them in one building on one campus.
“Where we build a City School wing and a Spokane Valley wing and then there’s shared space, whether it’s gymnasium and commons slash cafeteria between both of those wings so that that could facilitate shared space for both of those project based schools,” he said.
The district also proposes to move its kindergarten students from a building where they learn together to their neighborhood schools. Preschool children would then move into the kindergarten center.
Rydell says, if voters approve the bond issue, they would help the district access $28 million in state matching money.
West Valley also plans to run a three-year replacement levy to supplement its basic education allotment from the state. Rydell says that provides almost 15-percent of the district’s budget.
“That money is vital to the operations of the district,” he said. “It backfills and supports 100% of our athletics and extracurricular activities, a portion of our arts, and then 34% of that levy supports teachers, classified staff, administration and our technology staff.
The bond issue must have 60% or more support to pass. The levy would be approved with a simple majority.
You can read more about the measures at the Spokane County voter pamphlet website.
