At Tuesday’s school board meeting, the Richland School District Board of Directors approved a motion to run its bond in the upcoming general election, totalling $314 million. This includes several projects, including the new comprehensive high school that’s been a topic of discussion for a number of years. Rylee Fitzgerald reports.
RICHLAND, Wash. — At Tuesday’s school board meeting on May 14, 2024, the Richland School District Board of Directors approved a motion to run its bond in the upcoming general election, totaling $314 million. This includes several projects, including the new comprehensive high school that’s been a topic of discussion for a number of years.
There was an overwhelming approval to run the bond for the new high school and other projects, but there was some debate on when to run the bond.
RSD Board President Rick Jansons suggested the Board considers holding off until February to give time to get the communications out.
“I don't know how you get a message out on a general election like we're coming to, where I'd be surprised if we're barely making the news. We have less competitive congressional races. We have a somewhat divisive presidential race, and our message needs to be clear,” said Rick Jansons.
In response, board member Katrina Waters brought up voter turnout, which could impact the results if the Board waits until the February election, known for having lower turnout rates. For bond issues, there are two criteria to pass. The first is that the vote must be validated, which means the voter turnout must equal 40% of the voters who cast a ballot in the last general election. The second is that the issue has to receive 60% or more of the vote, rather than a simple majority of more than half of the votes.
“When we've had primaries, we have really poor turnout in this area. I think we just need to stick with November,” said Katrina Waters. “There's so much energy in the community about the third high school. It's not like it's the first time they've heard of it.”
There was a long discussion regarding the items included in the proposed bond. One board member mentioned there were a lot of questions the Board will have to answer.
“There are so a lot of people that say, ‘Well, I remember the last bond was like $100 million or something, $99 million, and that was really huge,’ and so, three times that,” said Waters.
Jansons chimed in at that statement. “We didn't build a high school,” Jansons said.
In the end, the Richland School Board decided on running the bond package for voters to consider in November. The $314 million bond package would result in an increase of $1 per $1,000 of assessed property value in the tax rate, if voters approve it.
Here is the list of items on the Richland School District's master budget summary for the 2024 capital bond, only including the local share, which adds up to the $314 million for voters to approve. You can find more details attached here .
New Richland High School Multi-Purpose Room - $2,603,419
2023 Capital Levy - Safety and Security - $19,000,000
Capital Projects: New Tennis Courts at RHS and HHS, Middle Schools Running Track Replacement, Roof Maintenance & Repairs, Chief Joe MS 2nd Floor Renovation, Chief Joe MS Parking Lot Repairs - $ 10,000,000
GRANDVIEW, Wash. — Hundreds of people gathered in Grandview this past weekend for a regional event that only happens twice a year. The SCA, or the Society for Creative Anachronism, hosted its May Crown event. The SCA is an internationally-known living-history non-profit, with the aim to study and recreate history before the 17th century.
WASHINGTON - Authorities and the Washington State Department of Transportation is searching for a pilot and his plane after he failed to come home Sunday night.
PASCO, Wash. --- The Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs is holding a town hall on May 22 to discuss the potential for a new State Veterans Cemetery in the Tri-Cities region. The meeting will be held at the West Richland Police Department and is open to the public.
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