The South Kitsap School District Board of Directors have agreed
to give the public, and themselves, a break.
The board will not run a reconstituted version of the district’s
failed $163.2 million capital facilities bond this spring. Instead,
school board president Patty Henderson announced today, another
bond election will wait until the general election in November.
Almost immediately after results of the election were posted March
13 — showing the measure had fallen about eight percentage points
short of the required 60 percent super majority — some bond
supporters pushed for running the measure again at the earliest
possible opportunity in May. But after a work study meeting
Wednesday, attended by about 40 community members, the board
concluded that the voters they hope to reach would not be receptive
to seeing the measure again so soon. In addition, board and
community members who worked toward passing the bond over the past
months said they are, in a word, pooped.
“We need to take a little breather,” said Henderson. “We don’t feel
the momentum is there at this point. And the voters spoke pretty
loudly.”
Read the compete story later today at the Kitsap Sun’s Web site.
Speaking of South Kitsap Reporter Chris Henry talks about life in the county seat of Port Orchard and surrounding areas.
I would love to get involved in the process. I can reach a large demographic—the families that are starting out in life and may not understand the importance of this issue. Can someone point me in the right direction?
Everyone interested in trying to get their comments to the board of directors before the decision is made to put something back on the ballot must keep in mind the need for the board to tell the Auditor well ahead of time.
The election might be in Nov., but the decision by the board will have to occur no later than the first week of September.
I’m assuming it will be made in July-Aug. time frame. If so, then the next 3-4 months would be the only time to say anything more than “approved” or “rejected” to whatever is ordered to be placed on the ballot by the board of directors.
I hope this time the critics will speak up before it’s too late to make any change at all to the ballot proposition.
And, of course I hope that the board of directors will reassess everything, rather than merely sticking with what they decided last October.
Maybe for a little while I can lend them the use of my personal motto when starting any significant task: “It was always done wrong before, even when I did it.”
Matt,
Please email me at simpson@skitsap.wednet.edu.
We welcome your participation!
Regards,
Kathryn Simpson
With so many new young families coming into the area, the word needs to get out to them to: 1) make sure they are registered to vote, and 2) actually vote. I wonder how many new families living in South Kitsap are not even registered to vote yet. I also wonder how different the poll results would have been if everyone who has a vested interest in South Kitsap Schools (and South Kitsap for that matter), would have voted.
-Chip Augello
Chip, I couldn’t agree more. Great point!