Editorial: Would You Spend or Invest $20 More a Month?

Updated at 9:30 p.m.

Here’s what we’re talking about, on Orcas, regionally, and nationally:

• A “dismal decade”
• Real Estate bubble burst
• Unemployment highs
• $35,000,000 bond for capital improvements to Orcas Island public schools
• And perhaps worst of all, a report by the Kaiser Family Foundation that the average kid spends 7.5 hours – per day!—on electronic devices.

Orcas Islanders are energetic, thoughtful, intelligent, well-informed and creative – especially when it comes to employment and money. Most of us have two or three jobs, often widely divergent, such as teaching school and cleaning houses, or writing books and business consulting. Then there are those of us who are retired and work – as volunteers and board members – at five, six or more jobs. (This is where I love to remind myself that “work” in Italian is “opera.”)

That is why we can counter the miserable national statistics above with facts of our own. Here’s a few pertaining to Orcas Island School District:

• Increased school enrollment and more students graduating
• Healthy School Reserve “Savings Account”
• School of Excellence Awards for the Middle and High School
• Leaders in Career and Tech Education
• Recipients of Energy Resource grants
• State sports champs
• Strong community partnerships with Orcas Center, the FunHouse, the service clubs and Chamber of Commerce

And that is why Orcas voters should think carefully and consider approval of the $35,000,000 School Bond as an investment in ourselves, our children and future sustainability, rather than soley thinking about it as taxing and spending huge amounts of money.

When the middle school buildings (which include the cafeteria, woodshop, library, music room and other classrooms) were built, it was estimated they would only last 10 years. But it was the best that could be done with an insufficient bond. The most recent bond of November 2004 for $2,195,000 has now been expired. The proposed bond, which would retire in 2035, would add about $20 a month (over the former bond amount) to a $500,000 property owners’ bill.

The proposed bond would bring jobs, energy conservation, advancements in career and technical education, housing for the expanded enrollment thanks to the Alternative Education Program/OASIS (which brings the district increased state funding).

In addition to new and replacement construction, the bond proposed would provide for needed repairs and renovation in the elementary and high schools, the old gym and other OISD property. These repairs are substantive and necessary to ensure the lifespan of these buildings and to keep students safe.

The total cost to taxpayers for BOTH the bond and levy will be $1.33 per $1000 of assessed property value. $1.33 is one of the lowest combined tax rates in the state.  It is LESS than what taxpayers were paying on Orcas for a bond and levy in 1996. It is also less than what taxpayers and property owners are paying in Mt. Vernon, where owners of a $350,000 house pay over $39,000 over 25 years.

(Check out the back page of the mailing coming to Orcas voters to see comparable rates in neighboring school districts.)

We can look at the upcoming School Bond (leaving the 2-year Maintenance and Operations Levy aside for the moment) in several ways:

As $35 million dollars –

• 10 times what Orcas’ only known lottery winner won
• 2 times the amount raised for Turtleback Mountain
• 1,000 times a $35,000 annual salary, 2,000 times a $17,500 annual salary
• 1,000 times a couple’s monthly health insurance payment NOW

Or as $20 more a month (for the average property owner and remember, for the bond only). That covers:

• Monthly membership in Netfllix.
• One-third of an adult’s monthly $60 cell phone cost
• One-half a car’s gas tank fill-up cost

Most of us work to maintain our investments in our homes, our health, our retirements and our kids’ college educations. The prospects for all of these investments are improved with an investment in the community’s education system.

The Fire Department passed a levy in 1999 of $1.35 per $1,000 assessed value. Last year, it made 703 calls. The School District, with an enrollment now pushing 600 students, serves students, teachers and families 180 days a year, and is asking for a COMBINED Bond and Levy amount of $1.33 per $1,000. (The Levy, at 61 cents per $1,000 is for maintenance and operations and is usually renewed every two years).

Times are tight, it’s true, but for most of us, it’s a good time to re-evaluate what we spend our money on, what we invest in, and where our treasure lies.

That is what the School Board is doing this weekend, with the Open House on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Board Members Janet Brownell, Tony Ghazel, Scott Lancaster, Chris Sutton and Keith Whitaker will be at the school to guide visitors through the plans for the improvements and new buildings financed by the proposed bond. Ask them the questions, see where a Career and Tech Ed building, and a cafeteria/civic meeting place could fit in the school campus. Envision and plan for a school that saves money in energy use, that provides sub-contracting jobs to the community economy and that, most of all, educates our children AND our community for decades to come.

For those with further bond financial questions, Orcas School District has arranged for an informational meeting with Trevor Carlson, Bond Specialist, next Wednesday, Jan. 27 at 1:30 p.m. Call 376-2284 for more information.