East Valley District To Put Tech-Update Bond On Ballot

Sat., July 29, 2000

By Stacy Schwandt stacys@spokesman.com

The East Valley School District is asking voters for a technology “jump start” to update and outfit their schools for the 21st century.

The school board voted unanimously on Wednesday to place a 10-year, $6.27 million technology bond on the Sept. 19 ballot.

The bond would provide almost $4 million for classroom technology, $1.5 million for computer network infrastructure, and almost $1 million for telephone system upgrades.

“We’ve been trying to do all our technology work through grants,” said EV Superintendent Les Portner. “But our kids and our programs really need a boost to get them ahead.”

If the new technology bond is approved, district residents will pay no more in taxes than they currently pay. But they won’t experience tax relief, either, as bonds for past construction projects fall off the roles.

This year, the old bonds require taxpayers to pay $2.48 per thousand dollars of assessed property value. Without the technology bond, this number would shrink each year until 2009, when it would hit zero.

If voters approve the technology bond, they will pay $2.43 per thousand dollars of assessed property value each year until 2009. The rate individuals pay could go down over the years if the district continues to grow.

“Taxpayers just don’t want their taxes to go up,” said Portner. “We can’t blame them for it.”

Portner said the district came up with the $6.27 million figure by estimating the costs of the new equipment and systems they hope to install.

If the bond passes, the district’s technology team plans to buy enough machines to bring each school’s computer-to-student ratio down from 1-to-15 to 1-to-4.

The district will also develop a technology center in each classroom, install video conference equipment in each school and update its telephone system to ensure 911 emergency capabilities in each classroom.

The district put together fact sheets describing the proposed bond, and a community group has formed to campaign in favor of it. About 60 people attended the group’s first meeting.

“Technology is the future for our kids,” said EV school board chairwoman Sue Wentz. “We want all our kids to be technologically literate.”

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.