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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Boundary County Schools Prepare A Major Bond Issue

The Boundary County School District is gearing up to ask voters for $15 million to build a new high school and renovate its four elementaries.

“We’ve had facility needs here for a number of years,” said Superintendent John Schwartz. “Rather than trying to piecemeal together projects with a bunch of smaller levies, we decided to go with a bond that meets our total needs.”

The district already has hired an architect and conducted a telephone survey to find out if the 15- to 20-year bond levy has any chance of passing.

“The results indicate it’s very doable,” Schwartz said. “Even though it’s a lot of money, it appears there is support for the package.”

The district still is finalizing numbers and cost estimates for a new high school and the renovations. The school board expects to have those details wrapped up and approve the proposal at its July 11 meeting. The bond levy would go to voters in September.

The $15 million bond, which would cost $175 annually on a $75,000 home, needs a two-thirds supermajority to pass. According to the district’s survey of 550 residents, just over 65 percent said they would support it.

“With a lot of hard work, it’s within reach,” Schwartz said. “People are aware of the need to improve our facilities.”

Bonners Ferry High School was built to hold 500 students. About 600 will fill the halls next year.

The district now also uses eight portable classrooms to ease crowding at the junior high and elementary schools.

“The district has run out of classroom space,” Schwartz said, adding that most of the schools need electrical and heating upgrades and other repairs just to meet building codes.

The levy plan calls for a new high school to be built behind the old one on 120 acres of district-owned property.

The existing high school would be turned into a junior high.

Schwartz said the bond proposal also included adding a new 400-seat auditorium and resurfacing the high school running track.

Those items drew such a negative response during the survey that they likely will be dropped from the project, he said.

, DataTimes