The Hockinson School District board earlier this week voted unanimously to place an $87 million bond on the Feb. 11 ballot.
The bond has five priorities: building a second elementary school, improving safety, replacing Hockinson High School’s track and installing a synthetic turf field, adding a high school career and technical education building and a classroom emergency system, and building a covered outdoor area at Hockinson Middle School.
In Washington, bonds require a 60 percent supermajority to pass.
The projects would be completed for about $44 per month, or a net increase of 71 cents per $1,000, for the owner of a $750,000 home. As an existing bond drops off property tax bill, this bond would take its place. The total bond tax rate would be $1.42 per $1,000 of assessed property value, according to a district news release.
The Hockinson School District has mulled the idea of developing these projects through a bond for years.
“In Hockinson, we really rely on our schools. We don’t have a town hall. We don’t have a mayor. The schools are the place where people really get together and meet,” said Teresa VanNatta, a Hockinson School District board member. “The schools provide that opportunity for the community.”
New elementary school
Currently, Hockinson Heights Elementary School has the largest elementary school student population — double the average — in Clark County with 929 students. The school’s capacity is 598 students. Students spill into 24 portable classrooms and smaller buildings around the main building.
“We have overcrowding. So we want to reduce that, and we want to relieve the traffic congestion,” VanNatta said. “In order to improve the safety and security of our students, we need a smaller campus, a more secure campus.”
Overcrowding is just one issue; lunch periods are another. Due to the cafeteria’s capacity, lunch periods are stretched from 9:50 a.m. to 12:40 p.m.
To have all the students eat lunch, “we have to start the kiddos coming in at breakfast time,” VanNatta said.
The plot for the proposed elementary school is near the intersection of Northeast 119th Street and 172nd Avenue by Hockinson Meadows Community Park. The district previously bought the 40 acres.
The elementary school’s building cost would be 60 percent of the bond.
Safety first
The next largest priority for the school district is implementing safety measures, which include lockdown functionality at all the Hockinson schools and installing a single secure entry point at Hockinson Heights Elementary School.
“Safety was the big concern of our community when we surveyed the community,” VanNatta said.
The safety improvements would be 25 percent of the bond. Schools should be safe learning spaces, she said.
About 7 percent of the money raised by the bond measure would go toward improving Hockinson High School’s track and field. The track is more than 20 years old, and the grass field gets muddy. In the nine-school league, Hockinson High School is the only one without artificial turf. VanNatta said the field cannot be used year-round.
It costs more than $20,000 to maintain the track and field every year.
Other priorities
The bond measure would also add a building for career and technical education at the high school, as well as a classroom emergency messaging system.
“We want to help every student find their path after high school, whether it’s higher education or entering the workforce or exploring vocational training,” VanNatta said.
The last item on the bond’s agenda is a covered outdoor area at Hockinson Middle School to protect students from the Pacific Northwest’s weather during lunch, recess and physical activities.
In the past 20 years, only two Hockinson School District bonds have passed. A 2003 bond funded construction of Hockinson High School. Before then, only the elementary and middle schools existed, and ninth-graders moved on to high schools outside of the district. More recently, a 2015 bond allowed the district to build a new Hockinson Middle School.
“It’s finally time to alleviate the crowding and upgrade our safety, allowing our elementary students and staff to operate in a much more optimal learning environment,” VanNatta said.
