“Once-In-A-Generation” $14 Million School Bond Going Before Voters In Okanogan

Voters in the Okanogan School District will decide the fate of a $14 million bond in next Tuesday's Special Election.

The Omak Chronicle reports the bond is seeking an additional $28 million in matching funds from the state that would allow for major renovations and upgrades at the district's two school properties, Okanogan High School/Middle School and Virginia Grainger Elementary.

If the bond is passed by voters, its funding is scheduled to provide updates to electrical, HVAC, interior lighting, and plumbing systems, as well as new furnishings, insulation, and roofing.

The money would also be used for safety improvements, along with updated kitchen equipment, fire sprinkler systems, and enhancements to athletic fields and facilities.

Expanded parking lots, new fencing, outdoor lightning, and improved retaining walls are also planned if the bond is passed.

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Currently, property owners within the district pay $1.76 per $1,000 of assessed value, including $1.06 for an existing bond and $0.70 for a capital projects levy which expires in December and will not be renewed.

The new 20-year bond seeks a rate of $1.75 per $1,000 of assessed property value, meaning the current overall rate would essentially be unchanged once the capital levy expires at the end of the year.

If approved, bond collections would start next April with project construction beginning in July, 2026.

The bond would fund a total of $48 million in total projects when combined with $14 million in matching money from the state, as well as the same amount from a local match, plus $6 million from a Small Schools Modernization Grant.

District officials approved the bond measure in February and call the proposal a "once-in-a-generation opportunity" to modernize and enhance its schools - noting a critical need for the funding due to failing roofs and other infrastructure, as well as rising construction and materials costs and the availability of matching funds from the state.

Ballots in the Special Election are due by 8 p.m. on April 22.

Bond issues in the state require a supermajority of 60% to pass.