The Sultan School Bond seems to have caught most everyone by surprise.  This $47.77 million price tag is no small matter and will impact everyone is this community, in a serious way, for a long period of time.  Yes, we all want "Strong Schools" and many of us are inclined to always "vote for the kids" when asked to do so.

However; there are times when it is just plain common sense to ask..... just what is this all about, after all, this is a lot of money?  The total annual Budget for the School District is in the area of $20 million per year, this Bond issue is over twice that amount in one chunk.  A few years ago, our enrollment was over 2,000 which dropped and has not, as of yet, returned to that figure let alone exceeded that number.  Seems like the pressure of "operating at 78% over intended capacity" would have surfaced several years ago, so why now?  And, just what is this Bond issue really aimed at accomplishing?

The Bond information brochure that was sent out seems to obscure the major expenditures of the monies.  For example, under "Bond Facts", for the High School which is $32 of the $47 million ... the first item listed is expanded capacity for STEM classes (Note that it does not state "new" classrooms).  The second item is construction of a "new" gymnasium.  Third is construction of a "new" Performing Arts Center followed by costs to repair infrastructure, save energy and improve facilities for health and safety.

It must be noted that the single largest cost of this Bond issue is $11 million dollars for a "new" Performing Arts Center.  At almost 25% of the entire Bond issue, this one cost dwarfs the rest of the expenditures.  This is followed by a "new" Gymnasium at about $7 million.  

Returning to page one of the Bond Information brochure, and the statement that the Sultan High School is "operating at 78% over its intended capacity," is this Bond issue really about addressing the stated core issue?  The answer is very obviously NO.

The following is an abbreviated summary of the proposal submitted to the District Board in November, 2015.
 

$11,000,000	New Performing Arts Center
$7,000,000	New Gym for the High School
$5,000,000	Re-Roofing at three schools
$4,000,000	SHS 4 STEM Classrooms
$2,000,000	SHS 4 General Classrooms
$4,000,000	SHS Renovation of  Locker rooms, Shop areas, and Music Room
($15,000,000)	Misc. additional Administrative projects, Site Development, Parking, HVAC, etc.

 Note:  In addition to the $47.7 million Bond, the District expects to receive an additional $8.7 million in matching funds.  Realize that these are also your tax dollars coming from a different source.

Here are a couple of questions people should ask the School District:

How much of the $47.77 million will go toward actual "brick & mortar" that the community will be able to see?
How much of the $47.77 million will the School District actually get to spend on the project list?
Concerning the $8.7 million State matching funds, are these monies guaranteed to be available for our project?

Another issue that seemed to elude discussion, was that of the additional cost for continuing maintenance.  Certainly we will need additional janitorial services, where is this money to come from?  The Performing Arts Center will have a roof that will have a service life which will need repair or replacement in the future?  There are many concerns on the cost of the day to day use that have not been addressed.  These costs will most certainly come up at the next M & O levy discussion.

Finally, it is certainly appropriate to ask why we are floating an additional Bond to pay for a bunch of roofs that have become in need of repair.  What happened to the M & O Levey monies that have been collected over the past twenty or so years.  Are not the M & O Levey monies supposed to take care of such things as roof repairs?  If the Gold Bar School roof is at the end of its 20 year life, why is it that the District has not set aside M & O monies, over the years, to pay for this event?  Certainly someone must have known that the end life span for these roofs were approaching.  

Apparently, it appears, the District is in need of doing their homework.  This Bond issue in not ready for a Public Vote.  A NO Vote is not against the Kids.  In this case, a NO vote is for financial responsibility.

In Addition

The Sultan School Bond brochure states that Sultan High School was built almost 30 years ago for 325 students and is currently accommodating 560 students - operating at 78% over its intended capacity. This is not an accurate statement in that it leads the reader to assume that no additional construction has occurred in that period, which is an incorrect assumption.

Four (4) classrooms were added with appropriate lavatory, breezeway and other necessary amenities about ten years after initial construction. In addition, a weight room was added that is a State certified teaching station. And, in addition to that, two (2 ) pre-built classrooms were installed on the campus which are in full use today.

Is the High School operating over its capacity? Certainly, we cannot determine the accuracy of the statement.

And, who determines if the school is operating over capacity? Is our High School operating over capacity? If it is, I am sure that the Snohomish County Fire Marshall needs to be called.

With regard to the $47.7 million Bond proposal, how much of the $47.7 million is set to address this problem? If this issue is passed, will the capacity issue be solved? And, will the capacity issue allow for increased enrollment, should that occur a few years into the future, prior to the maturity of the Bond, twenty five (25) years from now?

If I were a teacher, this homework would be returned as incomplete.