On March 14, voters will decide on a $148 million bond measure to rebuild five Highline School District elementaries and finance other district upgrades.

The measure would pay for the rebuilding of Shorewood in Burien, Midway and Parkside in Des Moines and Marvista in Normandy Park.

SeaTac’s McMicken Heights would also be rebuilt using state matching funds.

In addition, the bond would pay for $3.3 million in renovations to Camp Waskowitz, $2.2 million in security improvements for secondary schools, $9 million in technology upgrades, and $7.5 million for roofing and emergency repairs.

A 60 percent yes vote is needed to pass the bond. Voter turnout must be 40 per cent of the November 2005 general election to validate.

If the bond passes, district officials estimate taxpayers will pay an additional 10 cents on each $1,000 of assessed home value per year for four years. For a home valued at $300,000, the increase would be $30 per year.

The current bond tax rate is $1.73 per $1,000 of assessed value each year. If the bond is approved, the rate would increase in 2007 to $1.83 per year for four years before going down to about $1.74.

The four-year boost would pay off the debt for the technology improvements. Payments for the new school construction would be spread over 20 years.

Homeowners over age 61 with an income under $35,000, and some disabled persons qualify for an exemption from the tax.

Voters approved a $189.5 million school-construction bond in March 2002.

But because a construction bond had not been passed for 17 years, a backlog of schools needing to be replaced built up, according to district spokeswoman Catherine Carbone Rogers.

“The ‘02 bond made some progress but there are a lot of needs,” Rogers said.

Prior to the 2002 vote, a citizens committee drew up a prioritized list of schools to be replaced or renovated.

Many of the district’s schools were built 50 years ago to last only 20 years, Rogers noted.

The buildings do not meet current fire or earthquake codes and are not designed for children with disabilities, she said.

Shorewood was built in 1951 with new buildings or renovations in 1952 and 1954.

Midway opened in 1954 with additions in 1956, 1963, 1979 and 1991.

In 1954, Parkside opened. It was added on to or remodeled in 1964 and 1991.

Marvista opened in 1956. Its additions or renovations occurred in 1958, 1961 and 1991.

McMicken Heights was built in 1948 with remodeling and additions in 1950, 1953 and 1970.

School board members decided to completely rebuild the schools if the bond is approved.

The 1991, single-story additions at three of the schools won’t be kept because they are not located in the right places to fit in with architects’ plans for new construction, according to facilities director Al Schmidt.

“It’s the same theory as the decision not to keep the 400 Building at Mt. Rainier High School,” Schmidt added.

The reconstructed Mt. Rainier is set to reopen in September 2007.

Rogers said plans for the new elementaries call for two-story structures with sloped metal roofs.

They should last 50 years, she added.

Capacity of the new schools would be 600 students. However, the district is aiming for about 550 students for each elementary, she said.

Some of the schools now house close to that number, but use portables, Rogers said.

With the exception of Valley View, set to merge with Bow Lake in September 2007, Rogers said there are no plans to close more schools.

Sunnydale, Salmon Creek and Olympic were closed in June 2005.

Denny Eliason, chairman of Highline Citizens for Schools, said polling results show that many voters are willing to support the bond.

“Our job is to make sure they understand the bond and get them out to the polls,” Eliason declared.

The group of Highline residents runs campaigns for the district's bonds and levies.

District critic Paul Willoughby said he doesn’t expect an organized group to form to oppose the bond.

However, the Tukwila resident who said he is a big supporter of public education, declared the bond would “take money from people who need it to feed the bureaucratic school district.”

Citing smaller enrollment, Willoughby said the district is “increasing costs on a declining demand.”

Nine schools are being constructed or have been rebuilt using funds from the 2002 bond plus state matching funds and noise insulation money.

The district signed an agreement with the state, Port of Seattle and the Federal Aviation Administration to provide noise insulation for schools near Sea-Tac International Airport.

The district was able to stretch available funds enough to add Bow Lake Elementary in SeaTac to the list of schools to be built, according to Rogers.