Concerns about cost, timing, trust raised during Ephrata post-bond survey

May 2-EPHRATA - Ephrata School District leaders say the results of a new community and staff survey make clear that the next school bond - whenever it comes - must look very different from the proposal voters rejected in February.

The district released findings from its April 2026 "Bond Reflection Survey," which drew responses from 95 community members and 81 staff. The results show strong agreement on the importance of school facilities, but deep concerns about cost, timing, trust and how decisions were made.

Superintendent Ken Murray said the district is treating the survey as a reset point.

"We see clearly that it is our responsibility to understand why and to listen closely to what our community is telling us," Murray said. "Many felt the proposal's overall cost was too high, and the timing was difficult given current economic conditions."

Community priorities and concerns

Survey responses show voters were heavily influenced by overall tax rate, total project cost, and long-term interest payments. A majority of community respondents were concerned about the cost, with 37.9% saying the proposed $4.65 per $1,000 tax rate was "significantly too high," and another 31.6% saying it was "slightly too high."

Economic pressures were a recurring theme.

"Rising property taxes, inflation and cost of living made additional taxes unaffordable for many," the survey summary notes.

Trust also emerged as a major issue. Both staff and community members pointed to concerns about transparency, past project follow-through and the perception that decisions were made before public input was gathered.

"Feelings that community members and staff are not being heard and perception that feedback is misrepresented or selectively presented," staff respondents wrote.

Clear project priorities

Despite the bond's failure, respondents identified Grant Elementary and Parkway Intermediate as the district's most urgent facility needs.

Murray said those priorities were already recognized by the district's Facility Study Group.

"Grant Elementary emerged as the top priority... because of its condition and the facility disparity between Columbia Ridge and Grant Elementary," he said. Parkway ranked second.

The high school was included in the failed bond because of significant safety and capacity needs, Murray said, and because Ephrata's low assessed property value makes a full high school replacement difficult to fund in a single bond.

"If the high school was not included in the projects, the fear was that necessary improvements would remain many years away from completion," Murray said.

A different approach next time

Murray said the district will overhaul its process before considering another bond.

"One of the clearest takeaways is that we need to engage our community earlier and more meaningfully," he said. "Instead of presenting a developed proposal and then asking for feedback, we will involve our community at the beginning."

He said district officials will continue to listen and reflect on the feedback.

"This is not about preparing for the next bond right away," Murray said. "It's about doing this work better, over time, and rebuilding confidence through transparency, consistency and genuine engagement."

What happens between now and the next bond

The district will continue addressing facility issues "as needed," Murray said, balancing safety and functionality while avoiding short‑term fixes that create larger costs later.

Not every need can be resolved without a major capital investment, he noted, but the district intends to stabilize buildings responsibly while planning long-term solutions.

When could another bond appear on the ballot?

Murray has previously suggested November 2026 or February 2027 as possible timelines, but said the district will not move forward until several benchmarks are met. "Key benchmarks would include meaningful two-way engagement that not only gathers input, but also demonstrates how that feedback has shaped the proposal," Murray said. "Just as importantly, there would need to be a clear, shared understanding across the community of what is being proposed and why. Finally, we would want to see broader indicators that the direction of the plan has general community support and reflects a level of confidence that it is the right path forward."

Afterwards, the district would propose a bond measure for the school board to consider placing on the ballot.

"Before feeling confident about placing another bond on the ballot, we would want to see clear evidence that both the plan itself and the community's understanding of that plan are stronger," he said.

Asked whether the district might decide not to pursue another bond at all, Murray said it's possible - but unlikely.

"There are current facility needs that should be addressed," he said. "We will make decisions based on the feedback we have received and will continue to gather."

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This story was originally published May 2, 2026 at 11:49 PM.