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ML bond plan ready to move ahead
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CopyMLSD expresses appreciation for approval of $15.6 million bond measure, eyes next step
Ballot counts won't be certified until Feb. 24, but Medical Lake's $15.65 million school bond is an informal affirmative, with 1,465 of voters in favor and 887 opposed for a 62.3 percent approval rate.
The bond will fund the addition of six classrooms at Hallett Elementary to make it a preschool through fifth grade building and add 12 classrooms at Medical Lake Middle School to accommodate sixth grade students. A full-sized gymnasium will be added onto MLMS as well as a commons/stage area and service kitchen. Medical Lake Elementary School will be torn down and replaced by play fields.
"We're just so happy for our kids - it's a great solution and puts them into buildings that are safe and conducive to learning," Medical Lake School District superintendent Pam Veltri said late last week.
Veltri said selling the bonds is the first step in a construction process she hopes to see started by September 2010 and, barring a harsh winter next year, completed before school starts in 2011. The school board will soon choose a financial advisor who will decide when to sell the bonds in order to get the most bang for the buck, according to finance director Don Johnson.
Johnson expects the district will have access to the money by May or June, at which time an architect and a construction management company will be hired. "We'll rely heavily on them for their expertise," he said, adding that the construction manager will make sure everything lines up with ever-changing state codes and regulations.
Rough sketches for a number of building options were drawn up during the bond planning stages, but Veltri said a new round of architect proposals is now being evaluated for work on the final blueprints.
Teachers and staff at all the schools have been excited by the bond's passage, Veltri said, although there have been a few questions about possible layoffs due to the loss of MLE. Veltri said the district will continue to have the same number of students in need of teachers, paraeduc'ators and secretaries in the future. With the added square footage to MLMS and Hallett, there will also be more space to take care of, requiring custodians and other staff, she said. "I can't promise anything, but through attrition and retirements over the next year and a half, I don't see there being anyone let go with the move," Veltri said.
Assistant superintendent Ralph Headlee is forming a committee of teachers, parents and community members to look at the most effective way to educate students in their new environment. Headlee said all are welcome to give input during the group's first meeting at MLMS, taking place Thursday, Feb. 25, at 6:30 p.m. Because many elementary schools have been successful with a K-5 grade configuration, the group will spend most of their time considering how to best teach sixth grade students in a middle school setting. They will also recommend to the board if those students should be contained in one homeroom, shift among a number of teachers or be integrated into the rest of the school
Veltri said the bond measure will cost city residents about $2.47 per $1,000 of assessed property value, which will soon be reduced by the expiration of the high school bond for a net increase of approximately 72 cents. While it wasn't easy to ask for any tax increase during a tough economy, Veltri said it was a necessity. "We tried to keep it as low as we possibly could, just know we'll be good stewards of your money." she said. "We're so thankful to our community. We really, really appreciate it."
Ryan Lancaster can be reached at ryan@cheneyfreepress.com.
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© 2010 Cheney Free Press Cheney, Washington. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.
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