School bond measure continues to fall short | Election update

Voter approval of the Kent School District’s $252 million bond issue increased by 1 percent from initial returns on April 26, but was still falling short of the 60-percent-plus-one-vote supermajority needed for passage.

As of Tuesday evening, the measure had 59 percent (13,703 votes) in favor, 41 percent against (9,498 votes). Election night results showed 58 percent approval and 42 percent no. The King County Elections Office updates results each weekday until the final certification on Friday, May 6.

“It is mathematically possible but statistically unlikely (the measure will pass), but we won’t know for sure until Friday,” Kent School District spokesman Chris Loftis said on Tuesday afternoon. “We will still hold out hope until then.”

The bond measure would have funded projects throughout the district, including the construction of a new Covington Elementary School, a new elementary school in the Kent Valley and 20 additional classrooms at various schools.

The referendum would have replaced retiring bonds and would not increase the district’s tax rate, instead extending the obligation through 2042. The current levy for the Debt Service Fund is $1.41 per $1,000 of assessed value.

If results hold and the measure does not pass, the district will reassess its needs, and the school board could choose to put a bond issue back on the ballot, Loftis said.

“The need for the new buildings and new classrooms isn’t going to go away. We have got to figure that out,” he said.

When the school board voted to put the measure on the April ballot, it was presented five options for the bond issue, ranging from $180 million to $252 million, and opted to go for the largest amount, encompassing the most projects.

The timing of a future election could be problematic, Loftis said.

The primary election in August is the next opportunity to put a measure on the ballot, but school is out then and many teachers and district employees are on vacation, Loftis said. November’s general election will be a crowded ballot.

“We could very easily be lost in that discussion,” Loftis said.

In February 2018, the district will have a replacement levy on the ballot. Every four years, voters are asked to reauthorize a levy, which makes about 23 percent of the district’s operating budging.

“The closer you get to that with a bond, the more complicated that all gets,” Loftis said.

Committee raised $17K to promote bond issue

Brooke Valentine, chair for the Citizens for Kent Schools, which promoted the bond issue, said the committee could have used more people and additional money to get the word out.

“A lot of people worked hard, but you can only do so much as a person,” Valentine said. “We didn’t raise enough money. We didn’t get out the vote enough. I think we should have focused harder on getting a better, more diverse group of people that were working hard to get it passed. We just needed more people that felt it was their job to pass this.”

The committee raised about $17,000 and spent all of it, Valentine said.

The majority of the funds went toward two promotional mailers, she said.

According to the state Public Disclosure Commission, the top contributions to the campaign were $2,500 from the Kent Education Association; $1,000 each from HomeStreet Bank, the Kent Principals Association and MicroK12, a Lynnwood-based computer and audio/video resale company; two $500 donations from Kent School Board member Russ Hanscom; and $500 from the Curran Law Firm in Kent. District faculty and employees made smaller donations to the campaign.

Valentine said she appreciated the district’s efforts to inform voters about the election. Superintendent Calvin Watts waived signs with Citizens for Kent Schools.

The district sent out an informational mailer to residents explaining the bond issue.

By law, the district can only run a factual campaign, not promote the measure.

The school district chose not to be in the voter’s guide that King County Elections puts out with the ballots.

Loftis said historically the district has not participated in the voter’s guide.

Entities, such as the school district, foot the bill for the guide. Committees cannot put items in the guide or cover the expense.

Loftis said it would have cost the district thousands of dollars to run the voter’s guide, although he did not know the exact figure.

The voter’s guide requires entities to name pro-statement and con-statement committees.

“You pretty much have mobilize your opposition,” Loftis said.

If the district asks voter approval on another bond issue, Loftis said, the district will have to do a better job of getting the message out.

“We have got make a better case to pass this bond,” he said. “We’ve got to explain it better and show the need more directly and thoughtfully.”

Required supermajority hard to overcome

Valentine and Loftis said the supermajority required to pass the bond is a difficult hurdle.

“I feel that people knew that the election was occurring,” Loftis said. “I feel people had the messaging in front of them. The reality is that it is just a tough road to get that supermajority.”

The supermajority is restrictive, Valentine said.

“We are talking about capital improvements for a school. If anything, it should be a simple majority,” she said.

There has been discussion in the state legislature to change the requirement to a simple majority, 50-percent approval plus one vote, Loftis said.

With the passage of Initiative 1351 in 2014, which mandated reduced class sizes across the state, Loftis said more districts will be asking for bond issue approval.

“You are going to have that kind of construction pressure all across the state,” he said.

If districts have difficulties getting a supermajority, Loftis said he expects there will be more pressure on the legislature to do away with the supermajority requirement.

“The other issue is that a supermajority creates organized minority control,” Loftis said. “That is not the way it was originally set up to be.”