HIGH SCHOOL BOND ISSUE MISSES BY ABOUT 125 VOTES

By Chris Cook - Forks Forum Editor

Voters have turned down the funding of the second phase of replacement construction at Forks High School.

“We were short about 125 votes from making the 60-percent supermajority,” Quillayute Valley School District Superintendent Diana Reaume said of the general election results. “I am confident that if we go out again, we can gain the needed votes of approval.”

A combined tally for Clallam and Jefferson counties showed 927 votes for and 828 against in a tabulation of votes released by the Clallam County Auditor on Friday night, Nov. 7. The “for” percentage stands at about 53 percent, a number close to the first tally of votes released on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 4.

A casual survey of voters living in the QVSD cited doubt about the future of the economy following the recent economic bailout as a reason for the bond being turned down.

During the campaign supporting the bond some local residents called for a plan to preserve the circa 1925 brick building at Forks High School. Plans presented to the community for the new construction called for preserving terra cotta sections of the building’s facade, but stated that preserving the building was cost prohibitive.

Two measures were on the ballot. Proposition One would have approved the issuance of $11 million in bonds to replace classrooms and administrative offices that are now permanently shuttered in the circa 1925 brick Forks High School building.
Proponents of the school bond are pointing out that the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction will boost the $11 million with matching funds of $7 million.

The $7 million is a high number for the school district, boosted by full-time student numbers from the online Insight School of Washington. The online school is made up of students from across the state, but is considered part of the QVSD.

“The board of directors will discuss our next move as a district at our upcoming board meeting?We will be running our Maintenance and Operations Levy on the February ballot, and we will more than likely run this again on the March ballot, as long as we still have a confirmation of $7 million from the state,” she said. “As a community, we cannot afford to lose out on this unique opportunity.”

The school district sees the Legislature in the coming session ending the counting of online students as full-time students. Without the online students, the school district would receive between $1 million and $2 million in matching funds for the $11 million bond issue.

The measure passed amongst Jefferson County voters, with over 60 percent voting yes.

“I think we have a good start of support, but I do not think that the community understands this is a one-time chance to capture $7 million dollars worth of state money,” Reaume said. “Even with the tough economic times, it is important to invest in our kids’ future. They are the hope for our community and deserve a safe, warm, and dry environment to learn in.”
Proposition 2 would have funded $4 million in construction bonds for a new grandstand and associated buildings at Spartan Stadium, and paid for a multipurpose field surface at the stadium. This measure would only pass if Proposition 1 was approved. Only about 43 percent of voters approved the second measure.