Ballot Measure
South Kitsap School District No. 402
Proposition No. 1
General Obligation Bonds - $126,992,867
Official Ballot Title
The Board of Directors approved Resolution No. 1204
concerning this proposition for bonds. This proposition
authorizes the District (1) to construct a new High School
including facilities for science, technology, engineering, math
and other comprehensive high school programming; and (2)
to make technology and safety upgrades at South Kitsap
High School; to issue $126,992,867 of general obligation
bonds maturing within a maximum term of 30 years; and to
levy excess property taxes annually to repay the bonds, as
described in Resolution No. 1204. Should this proposition be:

Explanatory Statement
(Prepared by the attorney for the district as prescribed by law.)
Passage of Proposition No. 1 will authorize South Kitsap School
District No. 402 to borrow $126,992,867 by issuing general
obligation bonds. In accordance with Resolution No. 1204 approving
this proposition, the bonds will provide funds to acquire, design,
construct and equip a new high school building including, but not
limited to, facilities for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math
(STEM), and other comprehensive high school programming,
and modernize, equip and renovate portions of South Kitsap
High School to accommodate technology and safety upgrades for
educational uses or programming. The bonds would be repaid out of
annual excess property tax levies over a period of 30 years.
Approved
Rejected
Argument For the Measure
Argument Against the Measure
What will the bond do?
Passage will provide the funds for the construction of a second high school
and a $2 million dollar investment in new technology capacities and safety
upgrades for South Kitsap High School. The long term plan is to improve
the District’s facilities and address the continued enrollment growth as
residential development rapidly increases.
This District doesn’t respect voters
Voters rejected the bloated $127,000,000 bond in February but instead
of listening to voters the school board irresponsibly voted to spend
approximately $90,000 for a second election. Money that could have
purchased new technology and safety upgrades. Vote No again.
So why now?
In 2014, the citizens of Washington State approved Initiative 1351,
requiring fewer students per class in grades K-12. With more students and
smaller class sizes, the school district will need many more classrooms.
Construction costs and interest rates are now very low, residential
development is on the rise, and school enrollment is certain to increase.
What will a second high school provide?
The new high school will be built to accommodate 1,500 students with a
large core area available for economical future expansion. The building will
be designed to meet all the requirements of a comprehensive high school
with the upgrades necessary to accommodate a science, technology,
engineering and mathematics (STEM) program.
What will this cost the property owner?
The 30 year bond will cost property owners an estimated $0.99 per
thousand of current assessed value. This means a property owner with an
assessed value of $230,000 would pay approximately $18.97 per month to
support the bond. As the community grows, the tax liability will decrease.
Facts haven’t changed
The School District is trying to convince the public that it needs another
high school while enrollment has been trending down for years. The
district’s plan to move 9th graders into the high school only aggravates and
worsens the school overcrowding problem. They now want $127,000,000
to solve a problem they caused and expect the fixed income and struggling
families of South Kitsap to pay for their mistakes. Vote No again.
Wrong time for this bond
Unfunded mandates from Olympia have caused the overcrowding problem
but court ordered solutions are pending. The district must wait until
Olympia solves the funding problem. Approving a new 30 year bond now
could result in double taxation in the future. The district should consider
short term solutions and give Olympia time to solve the school funding
problems. Don’t chance the double tax, vote No again.
Is there no limit
We have been “bonded and levied to death” in the last few years.
Demands from Fire and Rescue, EMS, Maintenance Operations, and
Public Safety are just a few bonds/levy that has surpassed the taxing ability
for struggling families and those on fixed incomes. New taxes must be the
last option, not the first. Vote No again.
Rebuttal to the Argument Against
Rebuttal to the Argument For
A booming student population is the cause of our overcrowding, not
unfunded state mandates or mismanaged fund sources! Over 2000 homes
are currently being built with more to come. The majority of South Kitsap
voters approved the bond in February with a 59.92% Yes vote; that would
be a landslide victory in any other election. With low Interest rates and
a current building need on the horizon, this is the time to support our
community!
This bond is only the tip of the iceberg. New levies and taxes will be
required following construction to fund additional staff and teachers.
Where is that plan? This burdensome bond alone causes a 27% tax
increase. Where are the plans for lower cost alternatives and options?
Why is spending and debt of $127,000,000 the only answer? Where’s the
compassion for struggling families? We need a better plan. Vote no again
on Prop. 1.
Arguments prepared by the Chairperson Mary Shuford; Committee
Member Judy Arbogast; Committee Member Jim Civilla, Committee
For the Measure. To contact the committee, call (360) 876-2097 or
email [email protected].
Arguments prepared by the Chairperson Larry Mann; Committee
Against the Measure. To contact the committee, call (360) 876-3482
or email [email protected].
The Auditor’s Office is not responsible for the content of arguments or their factual and grammatical accuracy.