Sheraden Kimball, editor-in-chief
The Monroe School Board is asking voters to maintain the current tax rate in a bond proposal that will appear on the ballot April 28th. With voter support, the district will be able to generate $110.9 million to improve and expand its learning facilities.
In 2013, Monroe Public Schools asked volunteers to visit every school and support facility in the district. At the end of their year-long inspection, the volunteers advised the school board to complete the most crucial projects while maintaining the current tax rate of $1.48 per $1,000 of assessed property value.
According to Rosemary O'Neil, the district communications director, our public schools have many needs as far as construction. "We have not had new bond dollars in more than a decade," she said. With voter approval, the district will be able to improve its schools drastically.
The board's first priority is to modernize Park Place, which first opened its doors in 1977. The school has systems that require highly expensive repairs due to outdated parts. "Heat could be out in the building for weeks," she said.
Being able to provide adequate heat for students should not be an issue. "Learning takes all of our energy and focus, we don't want children worrying about being warm when they should be focused on history or math or science," O'Neil said seriously.
The modernization of Park Place will also put all students under one roof with one single entrance. "We think about safety and security in a whole different way than we did in the '70s," O'Neil said, adding "the California model never made practical sense in Washington's rainy climate."
The next project will be to completely rebuild Salem Woods with a second story. It is the oldest elementary school in the district and has never been modernized.
The board plans to expand on Hidden River's existing facilities with the goal of replacing portables with specialized classrooms for classes such as art and science. O'Neil said this will provide an "equity of experience" between the students who attend Hidden River and Park Place.
Frank Wagner will also be trading portables for permanent construction, allowing room for future growth. Additionally, the library will be moving back the main campus.
The final series of projects are smaller in scale but equally as urgent. $4 million will be spent on major maintenance and small capital ventures. The majority of this portion will be spent at schools that were not previously mentioned.
"With this final piece of the bond proposal every school will be improved in some way - less at newer schools and more at older facilities. These range from a new roof at Chain Lake Elementary School to new plumbing at Sky Valley Education Center," O'Neil said. MHS will also be adding ball fields to their campus.
The Monroe School Board is asking voters to maintain the current tax rate in a bond proposal that will appear on the ballot April 28th. With voter support, the district will be able to generate $110.9 million to improve and expand its learning facilities.
In 2013, Monroe Public Schools asked volunteers to visit every school and support facility in the district. At the end of their year-long inspection, the volunteers advised the school board to complete the most crucial projects while maintaining the current tax rate of $1.48 per $1,000 of assessed property value.
According to Rosemary O'Neil, the district communications director, our public schools have many needs as far as construction. "We have not had new bond dollars in more than a decade," she said. With voter approval, the district will be able to improve its schools drastically.
The board's first priority is to modernize Park Place, which first opened its doors in 1977. The school has systems that require highly expensive repairs due to outdated parts. "Heat could be out in the building for weeks," she said.
Being able to provide adequate heat for students should not be an issue. "Learning takes all of our energy and focus, we don't want children worrying about being warm when they should be focused on history or math or science," O'Neil said seriously.
The modernization of Park Place will also put all students under one roof with one single entrance. "We think about safety and security in a whole different way than we did in the '70s," O'Neil said, adding "the California model never made practical sense in Washington's rainy climate."
The next project will be to completely rebuild Salem Woods with a second story. It is the oldest elementary school in the district and has never been modernized.
The board plans to expand on Hidden River's existing facilities with the goal of replacing portables with specialized classrooms for classes such as art and science. O'Neil said this will provide an "equity of experience" between the students who attend Hidden River and Park Place.
Frank Wagner will also be trading portables for permanent construction, allowing room for future growth. Additionally, the library will be moving back the main campus.
The final series of projects are smaller in scale but equally as urgent. $4 million will be spent on major maintenance and small capital ventures. The majority of this portion will be spent at schools that were not previously mentioned.
"With this final piece of the bond proposal every school will be improved in some way - less at newer schools and more at older facilities. These range from a new roof at Chain Lake Elementary School to new plumbing at Sky Valley Education Center," O'Neil said. MHS will also be adding ball fields to their campus.