Pasco schools looking for Valentine’s Day love from voters
The Pasco School Board is considering a big Valentine’s Day ask of its voters.
The board will consider a resolution to submit a $69.5 million bond for voter approval on the the Feb. 14 ballot when it meets at 6:30 p.m., Oct. 25 at 1215 W. Lewis St.
The 2017 bond is significantly larger than the $46.8 million bond approved in 2013. That request paid to build Marie Curie STEM Elementary and other projects.
The new bond would fund elementary schools, a new Stevens Middle, add classrooms at Marie Curie, general upgrades to existing facilities and the purchase of land for future school needs.
The district said the bond is needed to deal with overcrowding, enrollment growth, the state’s initiative to reduce class sizes and to retire outdated infrastructure and promote student safety and security.
If approved, the district will sell general obligation bonds to raise capital for the projects. The bonds would be repaid over about 20 years with revenue from increased property taxes.
The money would pay for:
- Elementary School No. 16, to be built on district- owned property in the 4000 block of Road 84.
- Elementary School No. 17 on a site to be determined.
- Replace Stevens Middle school with a new building at the same site.
- Build a classroom addition at Marie Curie in east Pasco.
- Make safety, health, security and other upgrades throughout the district.
- Buy land for future facilities.
Property owners in the Pasco School District pay $2.39 per $1,000 in assessed value to support existing bond debt.
They will collectively pay $12.3 million this year, according to the Franklin County Assessor’s Office.
If approved, the 2017 bond would add less than $50 to the annual tax bill for a home valued at $100,000.
Pasco school enrollment has doubled in the past 17 years, to more than 17,000 students.
This story was originally published October 21, 2016 at 7:51 PM with the headline "Pasco schools looking for Valentine’s Day love from voters."