Bond Projects:
History and Background, 2004 Bond

Why did the District place a school construction and renovation bond measure on the ballot?

In March of 2003, the school board appointed a 35-member Citizens’ Facilities Advisory Committee to complete an in-depth study of our school facilities. This committee found that Snohomish schools are overcrowded and reported that half of our school buildings are at or near the end of their useful life. The committee then created a long-range plan for school construction, modernization and renovation to address those issues.

This committee’s full report, detailed facilities plan, and a list of the committee members is available here, or by calling 360-563-7263.

What did the 2004 bond measure pay for?

The district’s facilities plan was divided into three phases. The bond will pay for the following projects, as listed in Phase One of the facilities plan:

A new high school, to relieve overcrowding in grades 9-12.
Modernization and renovation of Snohomish High School.
A new elementary school to relieve overcrowding in the south end of the district.
Buy land for the two new schools.
Health, safety, energy and infrastructure improvements to educational facilities throughout the district.

What is included in the cost of building schools?

The costs listed for projects in this bond include all of the ‘soft costs’ in addition to basic construction costs. Soft costs are all the project expenses that are not covered by the contractor’s bid, including sales tax, permits, design costs, project management, classroom furniture and school equipment.

Even taking that into account, schools are more expensive to build than homes or office space for a number of reasons. Schools must be durable enough to withstand the wear and tear that hundreds of students will inflict upon them over time; they must be easy to clean and maintain. Looking to the future, schools should be equipped with the electrical and technical infrastructure which will meet the needs of current and upcoming learners. They also require a variety of specialized spaces which are more expensive to build than other types of construction. Some examples of these spaces include: special education classrooms, locker rooms and science labs (which need fume hoods, specialized equipment and acid-resistant surfaces).

Finally, the state recently changed the rules for state matching funds. The new rules require school buildings to last longer (30 years) before they can again be eligible for state funds.

Why are the costs for building a new high school and modernizing Snohomish High School so similar?

The facilities plan adopted by the school board reflects the belief that our current high school should be of the same level of quality as the new high school so that all Snohomish students receive an equitable high school experience. Although there are a few Snohomish High School buildings that will not be completely modernized, there will be remodeling projects throughout the campus. When the work is completed, our downtown high school will essentially be in the same condition as a new school and both schools will be able to offer comparable programs to students.

How were the projects prioritized?

There were many factors which affected the final recommendations included in the district’s facilities plan. In some cases, the order of the projects was determined by the severity of need. Based on that, you can see that the construction of new facilities to relieve overcrowding at both the elementary and high school levels has been scheduled for Phase One.

In some cases, projects had to be timed to follow the completion of other projects. The new schools recommended in this phase would help relieve some of the pressure for existing schools, which would then make the modernization and remodeling of other facilities logistically easier and less expensive.