Deer Park is one of the fastest growing areas in Spokane County and its schools are trying to keep up.
“Our elementary school that serves grades three-through-five, called Arcadia Elementary School, we have three portables out there already, which equates to six classrooms, and so we are completely out of space already at the elementary school,” said Deer Park Superintendent Alexa Allman.
“The only other option for us is to add more portables to create more space and those come at a significant cost, a minimum of $500,000 a portable.”
The school district is asking voters to approve two measures next week. One is a levy to continue local funding for schools for the next three years, Allman said.
“The levies are for learning, specifically, and for Deer Park School District, our local revenues from the levy comprise about 6% of our total budget. They currently fund smaller class sizes, STEM classes, music, art, drama. It funds our counselors and psychologists, our nurses, school resource deputy and technology staffing,” she said.
It also pays for athletics and other extracurricular activities. The levy needs a simple majority to pass.
Just as levies are for learning, bond issues are for building.
The district is asking for authority to sell $62 million in bonds to pay for a variety of projects. Allman says the timing is right.
“Back in 2007, voters approved the current bond. It will be paid off in December 2024 and December 2025, so we have a moment in time to keep the tax rates flat,” she said.
The bond to which Allman referred paid for an extensive renovation to Deer Park High School. She says this version would address Deer Park’s growth.
The new bond would renovate Arcadia and build an additional elementary school. It would also pay for renovations to Deer Park Middle School and replace the district’s transportation center, which is nearly a hundred years old. Allman says the district would qualify for nearly $20 million in state matching money if voters approve the measure.
The bond issue requires a supermajority vote, defined in Washington as 60%, to pass.
“I’m really confident. I believe that our community as a whole does understand the need for new construction and new buildings to be able to serve our students and our employees in the same way. Our students really do need safe places to learn,” she said.
You can read more about the bond and levy at the Deer Park School District website or at Spokane County’s online voters’ pamphlet.
