After three counts, Oak Harbor’s bond is still trailing well behind the number of votes necessary to pass, and district officials think misunderstandings around rate calculations may have been the deciding factor for some “no” voters.
The $184 million bond required a supermajority of 60% of the vote to pass. As of Thursday evening, it had earned just under 46%.
Oak Harbor Superintendent Karst Brandsma said he and other school officials can’t say definitively why voters shot down the bond, which would have funded construction of new school buildings and other facilities, though the number of projects funded by the bond and the total cost to taxpayers are likely factors.
He said misinformation about how the tax rate is calculated may have also contributed to a number of “no” votes. The superintendent said he heard concerns from some Oak Harbor residents that they would end up paying more money to the district as the assessed value of their property increased, or that the district would pocket the taxes paid by new property owners as more houses were built in the city.
With a school bond or levy, however, taxpayers approve the total amount the district can collect over the life of the tax. The district cannot collect more than the approved amount, regardless of fluctuations in the number of properties taxed or the assessed value of the properties.
“I think we could have told that story better,” Brandsma said.
Brandsma said in the future, the district will continue to ask voters to fund these capital projects.
“The way the current structure in the state of Washington currently exists is that the maintenance of buildings and construction and repair is the community’s responsibility. These buildings are in dire need of improvement,” he said. “The need doesn’t go away.”
The superintendent said he will recommend that school board members engage in dialogue with the public about the bond and the necessary capital projects as they make a new plan for funding construction.
District officials will also continue to look for funding opportunities from the state. Brandsma said most district school buildings will be eligible for some form of state assistance within the next five years, though never enough to cover the projects in their entirety.
Oak Harbor’s school bond was the only tax measure that didn’t pass on Whidbey Island in the Feb. 8 special election. Coupeville School District successfully passed a $10.6 million operations levy, a $1.95 million technology levy and a $6 million capital projects levy with 54%, 56% and 51% of the vote, respectively, as of Thursday evening.
“We are aware that these special election measures were likely more difficult for our voters to approve during these times of uncertainty,” said Coupeville Superintendent Steve King. “So, we are extremely thankful and humbled by our communities’ continued support of our students, schools, and programs. We commit to continuing to be good stewards of our communities’ investment and will continue to prioritize our communities’ priorities in our school district.”
On the South End, voters approved a $10.5 million replacement levy for the South Whidbey School District with a 67% vote and a maintenance and operations levy for the Parks and Recreation District with 73%.
“On behalf of students and staff, thank you for supporting the South Whidbey School District Replacement Levy for Education Programs and Operations,” South Whidbey Superintendent Josephine Moccia wrote in an email to district families.
“Your vote makes a difference,” she added. “Together, WE make a difference.”
