BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Residents in the Meridian School District will vote on whether to build a new middle school next week.
The district is re-running its bond proposal that came up just short of the 60% super majority needed to pass in last November’s election.
But unlike last year’s measure, district superintendent Dr. James Everett says this current measure will not include funding for improvements at Meridian High School.
“The immediate response that we received from our community was that all those [high school improvements] are important, but what we should prioritize is the middle school,” Dr. Everett told My Bellingham Now. “We had over 75% that came out and said, ‘that’s where we feel we should be putting our energy.'”
This current bond proposal is for $70.9 million, down from last year’s $75 million bond.
If approved, it would increase property taxes by $1.35 per thousand dollars of assessed value, or $878 per year for a $650,000 home.
Everett says the new middle school building would add necessary safety improvements and modern facilities to replace the current school, which was built in 1938. He says the new building would also expand to fit the growing needs of the district’s elementary school.
“We would build this middle school to serve grades 5-8 to provide some space for the elementary school, which is going to be targeted at about 1,000 students by 2030,” Everett said.
Ballots have to be returned to an official drop box by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 22 or postmarked by April 22 in order to count.
