Letter to the Editor: School Board Invites Public to Bond Discussion Potluck on Wednesday

The Orcas Island School Board invites the community to a BBQ & Potluck and bond discussion this Wednesday, the 10th, to be held in the High School Commons at 6:15pm.

On March 11, the day following the potluck, the Board will decide when to place the issue on the ballot – April is only one possibility and not a given. This will not be the last chance for community members to make their views known. The Board is committed to seeking public input throughout the design process and will create a community advisory committee to ensure that all voices continue to be heard.

The Board is open to any practical suggestion as to how to reduce the costs of the bond and has already been working towards that end, through bond committee and community meetings, and in consultation with experienced professional advisors, for the past several years. The Board cannot reduce the amount of the authorization that we request of the community based only on potential or possibilities, but that does not preclude us from pursuing any and all cost-savings measures and working to reduce the cost to the community, even after the bond is approved. This is exactly what we intend to do.

The Board has thoroughly explored the use of existing community spaces, but for regulatory and logistical reasons, the use of external facilities is not a workable means of addressing the needs of the educational program.

The amount of the bond was developed by experienced cost estimators who have worked on hundreds of school construction projects. It has been vetted against state averages and is close to $270 per square foot. The bond resolution does not mandate that unspent money be used to pay off the bond, but the Board has made it clear that it is their intention to do just that. There are significant restrictions as to how bond funds can be
spent: they can only be spent on capital projects, cannot be transferred to the general fund and must be spent within a prescribed period of time.

The interest rate of the bond cannot be accurately calculated until the bond passes in the election and it’s put up for sale. As a school building project, which is seen in a positive light by purchasers of bonds, the rate we get will be favorable. The Board intends to reduce the amount of the second half of the bond sale by as much as possible, to reflect whatever cost savings can be achieved during the design process. This will affect the total amount of the bond and the interest. Whatever amount is placed on the ballot, the Board is acutely aware that it will represent a maximum authorization only, not a mandate to spend all of the funds.

The $10 million in indirect costs on the $35M bond amount were not an unknown quantity. This portion of the budget includes many mandated costs, including required contingencies, employing a project manager, permit fees, geotechnical and other testing, as well as other known costs, such as furniture and fixtures for the reconstructed spaces, the fees for the architect, civil, structural and mechanical engineers and other consultants.

The repair and rebuilding of our school facilities is essential. Due to the condition of our aging campus, a 10%+ growth in our student population over the past year, and the increasing importance of offering programming such as Career and Technical (Vocational) Education and OASIS, that will serve all of our students now and into the future, we need to act promptly to provide a safe and effective learning environment.

The economic realities that we are all facing require us to be as prudent and as thorough as possible in our consideration of this bond, and we hope that the discussions at the BBQ and Potluck on Wednesday will be one part of that ongoing process.

We hope you will come and join us in discussing the future of our schools.

Sincerely,

The Directors of the Orcas Island School District