Mercer Island District Seeks Feedback on Possible $70M Bond for 2014

A year after the defeat of a $196 million construction bond, the Mercer Island School District will hold public forums this year in preparation of a possible $70.3 million construction bond in 2014.

The possible bond is just over a third of the size of the failed construction bond, that voters rejected by 59 percent. The bond needed 60 percent support to pass.

District officials say that $70 million would address overcrowding by including the following:

• Build a new fourth K-5 elementary school on district-owned land near the high school at Southeast 40th street and 86th Avenue Southeast -- also known as the North Campus or the "mega block." Cost: $30.4 million
• Expand the existing Islander Middle School campus, including 14 new classrooms, larger student commons area and a new gymnasium.  Cost: $33.2 million
• Expand Mercer Island High School by adding an additional eight to ten classrooms including science labs.  Cost: $6.7 million

The district says that the district's three existing elementary schools (West Mercer Elementary School, Island Park Elementary School and Lakeridge Elementary School) combined have 23 portable classrooms -- which officials say hold almost the same number of students as would a fourth elementary school.

Citizen-run listening sessions

Several residents, Paul Bergman, Ralph Jorgenson and Rob Spalding, also have held several separate listening sessions with the public, which have been attended by supporters and opponents of the last bond measure.

The three are supportive of the possible $70 million bond measure to address the overcrowding problem, which they say takes its toll on students in the schools' loss of common spaces, the 20 minute lunch breaks and the overcrowded parent assemblies.

But they have asked the public to come forward with any reservations about the possible bond measure that the school district is considering.

Bergman said after the most recent meeting, attended by 18 people, that the group will bring all of the concerns that they hear to the district.

"As you've heard tonight, traffic will be one of them," he said, after a resident raised concerns about elementary school students having to cross at Island Crest Way.

Bergman said the group plans to hold more sessions, though none have yet been scheduled.

School District listening sessions

Topic: New Elementary School & High School Expansion

May 22, June 19 and August 28 

7:00–8:30 pm

North Campus Gymnasium (near Youth Theatre Northwest), 8805 SE 40th St, Mercer Island.

Topic: Middle School Expansion

May 21, June 20 and August 27

7:00–8:30 pm

Islander Middle School Multi-Purpose Room

ONLINE FEEDBACK:

The district website is accepting feedback at www.mercerislandschools.org/domain/34