黑料福利社

The Yakima School District will ask voters to support a bond in April for improvements to Hoover and Garfield elementary schools, along with other district repairs.

The Yakima school board approved a resolution for a 20-year, $200听million bond in a 4-0 vote at Tuesday's meeting. It will be the district's first capital measure in a decade.听

The bond would allow the district to rebuild Hoover and Garfield elementary schools, which were built in 1947 and 1966, respectively.

District-wide, the bond would provide funding for Americans with Disability Act and accessibility improvements,听HVAC system replacements, playground upgrades, roof repairs and replacement, sidewalks and paving. It would also support turf replacement, track resurfacing and court repairs.

YSD is eligible to receive up to $20 million in state funding to match the bond, according to the district. The property tax impact is estimated to be $246 annually, or $20.50 per month, for a house valued at $311,600.

The bond would be split into two sale dates, in fall 2026 and June 2028.

The district estimates the new bond would take the property tax rate from $3.21 per $1,000 in 2026 to $4.01 per $1,000 in 2027, dropping to $3.84 per $1,000 in 2033. The estimates assume a consistent local levy rate of $2.50 per $1,000 for operations. An older bond will expire in 2032.

Earlier this month, Yakima voters turned down a request to raise property taxes to fill a $6 million budget gap in the city of Yakima. The measure had 51% of voters against it, with 48% in favor.

Public comment

Tuesday's board meeting featured a handful of public comments in favor of the bond measure, with speakers saying Hoover and Garfield elementary schools are outdated.听

Several residents spoke in favor of the bond measure during the meeting.听Ruby Aguilar, community member and social worker, said she and her siblings attended Hoover.听

"My son attended Hoover and my daughter's in third grade there," she said. "Hoover has not changed. It is the same exact building, and that just brings some concern to me.

"A few years ago, Hoover held a music event for the children and there were so many parents in the hall, they could not see their children sing," Aguilar said. "Because we do not fit."

Shelley McWain, a paraeducator at Hoover, said the building no longer meets students' needs.听

"Three generations of my family have learned there, walking through the same doors, eating in the same cafeteria, playing on the same playground and even using the same bathrooms," she said. "A new school building would give our students access to modern tools and resources they need."听

Tamatha Wilkes, a mother of three YSD students, said the Garfield Elementary School building lacks adequate space, safe infrastructure and amenities to support students.

"My 50-year-old husband, who is father to my Garfield students, attended elementary school in that same building," she said.听"According to the American Institute of Architects, research shows that high-quality school environments can boost educational outcomes, improve well-being, and strengthen communities."

Board discussion

School board member Raymond Navarro Jr. voiced support for the bond, saying it's necessary, but he also expressed concerns about taxpayer fatigue from state tax increases and inflation.

"I've been around long enough to know that it's very difficult to pass a bond in Yakima," he said. "And our last experience was very challenging."

Washington is a supermajority state, meaning school districts need a 60% approval and a minimum turnout of 40% from the last general election for the bond to pass.

Since the YSD hasn't requested a bond measure since 2010, it shows that the district has a significant capital need, said Jake Kuper, Yakima assistant superintendent of finance.

"Deferred maintenance to major structures is only going to vastly increase the cost," said Anthony Murrietta, assistant superintendent of operations. "Investing those dollars today may seem expensive, but it's going to be a heck of a lot more expensive in the future."