Our Voice: New school buildings needed in Prosser

Prosser school officials finally have recovered from the heartbreak of the double school bond failure in 2011, and are once again asking the community to support new school construction.

The need is even greater now than it was six years ago.

The special election is on Feb. 14 — Valentine’s Day, but ballots should be arriving in mailboxes (weather permitting) later this week.

Prosser voters should approve the measure. There is no question the schools are old and inadequate, and Prosser kids deserve better.

The $69.3 million local school bond will pay for the construction of a new high school and the remodel and expansion of the three elementary schools. It also will cover the cost of converting the old high school to an administration building.

Prosser High School was built in 1936, and while the brick and ivy make it look appealing from the outside, the inside is showing its age.

Just last May, a broken pipe temporarily left the main building without working bathrooms, and water had to be cut off while repairs were being made.

At the time, Scott Hunt, representing the Prosser Schools Citizen Committee, said the broken pipe was “an example of the problems with our school’s infrastructure that we can’t see on the surface ... The district hasn’t made building improvements in our schools in more than 20 years. This place is falling down around our kids and it’s time we do something about it.”

The new high school would be built on property the school district owns near Art Fiker Stadium.

Prosser school officials realize, though, that the old brick high school has sentimental meaning in the community, and that’s why they don’t want to abandon it completely.

The school district leases office space in downtown Prosser at a cost of about $45,000 a year. The plan is to renovate the old high school and use it for administration and other specialized school services. That way, the building’s historic value can be preserved, and the community would still have access to the gyms and fields.

This is an important consideration.

Since Prosser has few options, the school buildings are used continually by youth and community groups. Having more gym space would benefit all of Prosser, not just school students.

As for the three elementary schools, Prosser School Superintendent Ray Tolcacher said there are about as many children in portables as there are in the main buildings.

Prosser Heights is the newest elementary school, and it was built in 1960. It also is the most recently renovated, and that was 1995 — 22 years ago.

The other two elementary schools are even older. All three need to be remodeled and enlarged to handle the enrollment.

In addition, Prosser residents should feel confident that school officials have done everything in their power to be as transparent as possible.

One of the main goals of the school district was to include the community in the planning process from the get-go. Surveys have been conducted, numerous public meetings have been held and neighbors affected by the proposed construction have been contacted.

This proactive approach is admirable, and we hope Prosser citizens appreciate the effort. School supporters have gone to great lengths to keep the taxpayer in mind while crafting the bond request.

School officials say the tax rate for the bond will be about $3.21 per $1,000 in assessed property value. That’s $321 a year for a $100,000 house.

The last bond expired in 2011, which was six years ago.

Since that time, the school district has made do, but fixes here and there are no longer acceptable.

It’s time for the community to step up and support its schools. We recommend voters approve the Prosser school bond.

This story was originally published January 25, 2017 at 4:22 AM with the headline "Our Voice: New school buildings needed in Prosser."