New Sumner High School Will be a Huge Community Asset

The Sumner-Bonney Lake School District has two propositions heading to the elections on February 11th. The students and staff at Sumner High School are in for significant change in the near future if voters approve Proposition 2 on February 11th. The piecemeal addition approach is no more. Back in 2016 voters approved a bond measure to start Phase 1 of the Sumner High School rebuild. Now voters are being asked to fund Phase 2 to complete the project and give students and community a state of the art facility.

Students, Staff and Parents agree this is the best option for giving the students a place to learn. The piecemeal approach of add-ons over time has taken its toll. From leaky roofs too crowded hallways, here is a chance to give Sumner a truly magnificent facility right in the heart of town. A crown jewel of what makes the Sumner-Bonney Lake School District a truly Great Place to Learn.

Here is what you need to know before you vote.

PROP 1:
Replacement Educational Programs & Operation Levy

The current levy, which voters approved in 2018, expires in 2020. This is not a new tax.
The levy helps fund:

• Day-to-day operations not covered by state funding
• Health, safety, security
• Operations, maintenance, grounds, utilities
• Teachers, paraeducators, nurses, library assistants, counselors, support personnel
• Special education programs
• Instructional materials and supplies
• Arts, music, theater
• Extracurricular activities and athletics
• Staff training and development

If approved by voters, the four-year Replacement Educational Programs & Operations Levy amount of up to $2.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value will generate approximately:

• $28 million in 2021
• $32.5 million in 2022
• $38 million in 2023
• $45 million in 2024

For a property owner with an assessed value of $300,000, this equals approximately $750 annually, or $62.50 a month.

PROP 2:
Capital Projects Bond

If approved, the $205 million measure will fund Sumner High School Phase 2 Replacement, including a performing arts center, gym and pool; purchase of land for a future middle school, and turfed and lighted field on land to be acquired in Tehaleh.

• Sumner High School Replacement: Phase 2
  – Accommodates 1,830 students
  – Increased safety and security
  – Classrooms built for career-connected learning
  – PAC with tablet-arm seating for schoolwide testing; connection to arts classrooms
  – Gym with increased capacity built to accessibility standards
  – Pool for continued use by the District’s swim and dive teams, and to allow for community use, including swim lessons
  – 8 tennis courts/lighted turf field
  – Additional parking
• Purchase of property for a future middle school in Tehaleh
• Funds a new turf and lighted field on land to be acquired in Tehaleh 

Approval of this Capital Projects Bond will result in an estimated voter tax rate of $0.45 per $1,000 assessed value over 21 years. For a property owner with an assessed valuation of $300,000, this equals approximately $135 a year, or $11.25 a month.