What Will it Cost?
The cost of the projects depends largely on the size of the specific facility. Rebuilding Lakota Middle School is budgeted at $34 million, which while each elementary school will cost around $17.5 million to rebuild. The new Maintenance Department, Central Kitchen and Transportation facilities are budgeted for about $15 million each. See a list of projects to be rebuilt and costs.
The completion of upgrades to the 23 other schools and Memorial Field is being done with State Match Funding, which kicked in when the community approved the original bond amount to rebuild the primary projects. See which schools are being completed as part of Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3.
How Did We Get Here?
In February, 2006, Federal Way Schools put a $245 million bond on the ballot. Although it received a nearly 54% “yes” vote, school funding measures must pass by 60% of the vote in Washington State. Following the election, the school district had an independent survey conducted about the district’s performance and building issues. The majority of the respondents gave the district high marks, but said that the bond measure asked for too much at once.
The district went back to the drawing board and put together a reduced bond measure for the schools most critically in need of rebuilding. That measure was on the ballot in November 2006, and failed to achieve the 60% supermajority by fewer than 100 votes. The measure was again presented to the voters in May, 2007, and passed with nearly 65% voter approval.
How are Bonds and Levies Different?
There’s a saying: ‘Bonds buy bricks, levies buy books.’ Bonds pay for larger capital projects while levies support the day-to-day expenses of running our schools. Both bond and levy dollars are generated through property taxes.
Return to the District Bond Webpage »