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Lake Washington School District No. 414

Proposition No. 3
Bonds to Reduce Overcrowding and Enhance Student Learning Environments - $299,000,000

The Board of Directors of Lake Washington School District No. 414 adopted Resolution No. 2246 concerning a proposition to reduce overcrowding and enhance student learning environments. This proposition would authorize the District to construct and equip one new elementary, one new choice high school and an addition at Lake Washington High School; remodel or rebuild Kamiakin Middle School and Alcott Elementary School; acquire land and make other capital improvements; to issue $299,000,000 of general obligation bonds maturing within a maximum term of 20 years, and to levy excess property taxes annually to repay the bonds, as provided in Resolution No. 2246. Should this proposition be:

Approved

Rejected


Passage of Proposition 3, Bonds to Reduce Overcrowding and Enhance Student Learning Environments, would authorize the Lake Washington School District to sell $299,000,000 in general obligation bonds to build new schools and add classrooms for its growing student population.  The district has grown by over 4,000 students in the last five years and continued enrollment growth is expected.

The projects included in this bond were identified by a 63-member community based task force that studied the district facility needs over a comprehensive year long process.

The bonds would be repaid out of annual property tax levies over a period of up to 20 years.  The tax rate for bonds in the district is estimated to remain at or below the current tax rate of $1.31 per $1000 of assessed value. The bonds will replace past bonds that are being paid off.

Projects include building one new elementary school, one new choice high school, and an addition at Lake Washington High School; rebuilding and enlarging Kamiakin Middle School and Alcott Elementary School, acquiring land for new schools; and completing other capital projects across the district.

The district expects to receive $15,000,000 from the state construction assistance program to help fund these projects.

Further information is available on the district’s website at www.lwsd.org.

Exemptions from taxes may be available to homeowners who are 61 or older, or disabled, and who meet certain income requirements.  For more information, call the King County Department of Assessments 206-296-3920.

Vote Yes for Our Kids, Schools and Community by voting Yes on Prop 3!

This bond, developed with extensive community input, relieves overcrowding in our schools without raising anyone’s property tax rate. Lake Washington School District is one of the fastest-growing districts in the state. This growth is at all levels from kindergarten through high school. Our schools are over-crowded and many students are being educated in portables.

This bond provides more classroom space to help relieve urgent overcrowding concerns without increasing the local tax rate.

By prioritizing the most critical building, safety, and security needs, this bond helps sustain LWSD’s high quality. And, due to good fiscal planning, we can improve our schools without increasing our local tax rate.

This bond benefits everyone. Good schools and facilities positively affect our neighborhoods. Better schools help build a stronger community and improve our quality of life. That’s why hundreds of your neighbors, elected officials, community leaders and organizations endorsed this measure (www.vote4lwsdkids.org). Please join us in voting Yes for the LWSD Bond – Prop 3!

Our region has experienced explosive population growth during the past 20 years. All of our schools are so full and overcrowded that the District uses 170 portables.  This bond measure provides little new classroom space, spending most of the money on school replacements.

Facilities Planning is broken. We need new schools.  The District has not added any new schools in Kirkland since Kamiakin Junior High was built in 1975. This bond measure would tear down and rebuild Kamiakin. It would put an addition on Lake Washington High School that was rebuilt in 2011 for $88,000,000 and is now too small.

Middle schools and high schools inside Redmond and Sammamish are so overcapacity that science classrooms, libraries, and lunchrooms are inadequate. Neither city will get new schools from this bond measure.  Elementary schools across the district are all full.

Past Lake Washington School District bond measures have been paid down slowly, often using interest-only balloon payments. We now owe $887,000,000 on bond principal and interest - and 2016 bonds have not all been issued.  We cannot afford to spend $299,000,000 more if all money isn't dedicated to new school construction.

Vote No and tell the district to use your money wisely.

Here are the clear and simple facts:

LWSD is one of the fastest-growing districts in the state. This growth is at all grades. Our schools are over-crowded and many students are being educated in portables.

This bond provides more classroom space in all three of our cities and across the district to help relieve urgent overcrowding concerns without increasing the local tax rate. The state does not provide this funding.

Vote Yes on Prop 3!

Submitted by: Amy Walen, John Marchione, Bob Keller www.vote4lwsdkids.org

This bond will increase your property taxes and your tax rate.  We cannot afford to continue the district's policy of tearing down and rebuilding schools.  We need new schools for our growing enrollment, but this bond measure will provide too little space.  Vote No.  Reject Proposition 3.

Submitted by: Susan Wilkins LWSDstats.org

60% approval with minimum turnout of 21,730 voters (Wash. Const. art. VII, sec. 2(b))

For questions about this measure, contact: Shannon Parthemer, Communications Director 425-936-1342, sparthemer@lwsd.org

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