The 2004-05 Citizen’s Ad Hoc Committee recommended the school district examine all of its facilities and develop a master plan to upgrade facilities. In the fall of 2008 a steering committee reviewed over 2,700 items and recommended a plan to upgrade district facilities. The resulting proposition will address the essential needs of our schools and other district facilities: provide improved ADA access; improvements to building exteriors and interiors, roofing and structural; provide energy conservation measures with improvements to heating and ventilation systems and lighting systems and controls; as well as improvements to playgrounds, fields and athletic facilities. These critical improvements will upgrade the deficiencies in our schools and provide a safe and healthy learning environment and facilities for our children and the community. These improvements are vital for all students. Your support of this proposition will begin implementing the recommendations to ensure quality facilities now and in the future.

STATEMENT PREPARED BY: Ryan Anderson, Clarissa Ruston

RESOLUTION NO. 1115

A  RESOLUTION of the Board of Directors of Auburn School District No. 408, King and Pierce Counties, Washington, providing for the submission to the qualified electors of the district at a special election to be held therein on November 3, 2009, of a proposition to authorize the district to levy an additional tax to provide a total of $46,400,000 for the District’s Capital Projects Fund for capital improvements and equipment, such levies to be made for six years commencing in 2009 for collection in the school years from 2009-2010 through 2015-2016.

            WHEREAS, the educational facilities of Auburn School District No. 408, King and Pierce Counties, Washington (the “District”), are in need of modernization, improvements and expansion to meet the current and future educational needs for its students; and

            WHEREAS, funds available to the District will be insufficient to enable the District to implement such projects; and

            WHEREAS, in order to support the cost of these projects as found necessary by the Board of Directors, it is deemed advisable that the District levy a tax upon all the taxable property within the District in excess of the annual tax the District is permitted by law to levy without a vote of the people, such levy to be made for six years commencing in 2009 for collection in the school years from 2009-2010 through 2015-2016, inclusive, as authorized by Article VII, Section 2 of the State Constitution and RCW 84.52.053; and

            WHEREAS, the question of whether or not such excess tax may be levied must be submitted to the qualified electors of the District for their ratification or rejection; and

            WHEREAS, the conditions here and above set forth require the holding of a special election in the District;

            NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF AUBURN SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 408, KING AND PIERCE COUNTIES, WASHINGTON as follows:

            Section 1.  Finding.  It is hereby found and declared that the welfare of the students and other residents of the District requires the District to carry out the improvements hereinafter provided.

            Section 2.  Authorization of Improvements.  The District shall modernize its facilities through the acquisition, construction, and equipping of the following capital improvements to the following facilities of the District: Alpac Elementary, Chinook Elementary, Dick Scobee Elementary, Evergreen Heights Elementary, Gildo Rey Elementary, Hazelwood Elementary, Ilalko Elementary, Lea Hill Elementary, Lake View Elementary, Pioneer Elementary, Terminal Park Elementary, Washington Elementary, Cascade Middle School, Mt. Baker Middle School, Olympic Middle School, Rainier Middle School, Auburn High School, Auburn Riverside High School, West Auburn High School, Auburn Memorial Stadium, Auburn Pool, Administrative Annex, Administrative Building, Support Services Center and Transportation Center.

            Such improvements shall include, but not limited to, site work, interior and exterior improvements, roofing, structural work, mechanical and electrical work, modernizations, construction of additions, acquisition of equipment and technology and other capital improvements of the District facilities.

            The District may repay any obligations hereafter incurred for the foregoing purposes.

            If available funds are sufficient, the District shall acquire, construct, equip and make other capital improvements to the facilities of the District, all as the Board of Directors finds necessary; provided that such funds may be used only to support the construction, modernization, replacement, and remodeling of schools.

            If the District shall determine that it has become impracticable to accomplish any of such improvements or portions thereof by reason of changed conditions or needs, incompatible development, costs substantially in excess of those estimated, or acquisition by a superior governmental authority, the District shall not be required to accomplish such improvement and may apply levy proceeds as set forth in this section.  If any or all of the improvements have been completed, or their completion duly provided for, or their completion found to be impractical, the District may apply the levy proceeds or any portion thereof to other portions of the improvements or to other capital purposes of the District, as the District in its discretion shall determine.  Notwithstanding any provision of this resolution to the contrary, levy proceeds may only be used to support the construction, modernization or remodeling of schools.

            Section 3.  Authorization of Levies.  It is hereby found and declared that best interests of the District require the District to submit the proposition whether the District shall make the Capital Projects Fund levies for their ratification or rejection at a special election to be held on November 3, 2009.  The District is a joint school district pursuant to RCW 28A.323.010.  Pursuant to RCW 28A.323.040, 28A.323.050 and 29A.04.330, for the purpose of providing funds necessary for the needs described in Section 2 above, the King County Department of Records and Elections, as ex-officio supervisor of elections in King County, is hereby requested to call and conduct such special election within the District on such day and to submit to the qualified electors of the District for their approval or rejection, a proposition providing for tax levies for the Capital Projects Fund for six years, commencing in 2009, producing dollar amounts at estimated tax rates per thousand dollars of assessed value to produce such amounts, in excess of the maximum amount tax levy permitted by law to be levied within the District without a vote of the electors, all as follows:

A.        $12,000,000, said levy to be made in 2009 for collection in 2010;

B.        $10,000,000, said levy to be made in 2010 for collection in 2011;

C.        $11,700,000, said levy to be made in 2011 for collection in 2012;

D.        $3,900,000, said levy to be made in 2012 for collection in 2013;

E.        $4,400,000, said levy to be made in 2013 for collection in 2014; and

F.         $4,400,000, said levy to be made in 2014 for collection in 2015.

The estimated levy rate depends upon the final dollar amount of assessed value of the property within the District.  At this time, based upon information provided by the King County Assessor’s office, the estimated levy rate for the 2009 levy is $1.20 per thousand dollars of assessed valuation, the estimated levy rate for the 2010 levy is $1.00 per thousand dollars of assessed valuation, the estimated levy rate for the 2011 levy is $1.14 per thousand dollars of assessed valuation, the estimated levy rate for the 2012 levy is $0.37 per thousand dollars of assessed valuation, the estimated levy rate for the 2013 levy is $0.40 per thousand dollars of assessed valuation, and the estimated levy rate for the 2014 levy is $0.39 per thousand dollars of assessed valuation.  The exact levy rate shall be adjusted based upon the actual assessed value of the property within the District at the time of the levy.

            Section 4.  Approval of Form of Ballot.  The District is a joint school district pursuant to RCW 28A.323.010.  Pursuant to RCW 28A.323.040, 28A.323.050 and 29A.04.330, the District requests that the King County Records and Elections Division, as ex officio supervisor of elections, call and conduct the special election to be held within the District and to submit to the voters of the District the proposition set forth below.  The Secretary of the Board is hereby authorized and directed to certify the proposition to the King County Records and Elections Division in substantially the following form:

PROPOSITION NO. 1

AUBURN SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 408

CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS LEVY

            The Board of Directors of Auburn School District No. 408 adopted Resolution #1115 concerning a capital improvements levy.  The proposition authorizes facility improvements that include site work, building modernizations, structural work, roofing, mechanical and electrical work, additions, acquisition of equipment, and other capital improvements; and authorizes the following excess levies for such purposes on all taxable property within the District:

            as provided in Resolution #1115.  Should this proposition be approved?

                                                YES . . . . . . . . .             [  ]

                                                NO . . . . . . . . .              [  ]

            The Secretary of the Board of Directors is hereby authorized to deliver a certified copy of this resolution to the King County Manager of Records and Elections and the Pierce County Auditor.

            ADOPTED by the Board of Directors of Auburn School District No. 408, King and Pierce Counties, Washington, at a regular meeting thereof, held this 27th day of July, 2009.

AUBURN SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 408,
KING AND PIERCE COUNTIES, WASHINGTON