Letter to the Editor: Doing Nothing at Toledo High School Not an Option

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When it comes to the Toledo School District and what to do about our High School, many people in our community have opinions and frustrations. The school itself is nearly 50 years old, is structurally unsafe, and is woefully inadequate to support the educational needs of a modern, 21st century school. Over the past few years, I’ve had the pleasure to participate in Toledo’s Facilities Advisory Committee as a volunteer, where we explored a number of options, including doing nothing, refurbishing the existing school, building a new school, and consolidating school districts. 

I am writing this letter to share the actual facts concerning these options, so that the residents of Toledo can make an informed decision about whether to support a (likely to arise) bond for $7 million for a new school this November.

Multiple independent groups evaluated the current facilities at Toledo High School, and evaluated each component of the school for repairs on a scale of A through D. If a component was evaluated “A,” it meant we “must fix” this. If it was “B,” we “should fix” it, “C” was “could fix” it, and “D” was “don’t fix” this. If you only chose the “must fix” issues, repairs would total nearly $20 million. Doing nothing would leave our kids at a terrible, unsafe educational disadvantage in terms of facilities.

Refurbishing the existing school was explored on prior bonds, costing $20 million total. With state assistance available through SCAP, we could receive up to $8 million in state aid. Previous bonds have been for the remainder. These are the proposals that the community has narrowly voted down.

Building a new school would cost more: approximately $25 million, and the new school would be smaller than the existing school. However, in addition to the $8 million in SCAP funding, we’d also get a new, one-time only $10 million grant from Washington state, meaning we’d only have to pay $7 million to get a modern, new school building for our community. This is the ideal option in terms of community benefit. The bond would equate to property taxes of only $0.99 per $1000 of assessed value.

Consolidation would cost more, and we’d get less. According to the AASA — the School Superintendents Association — the only benefits to consolidation are that you don’t have to pay for additional buildings. The costs you pay come from longer, more expensive transportation distances to school, more expensive faculty costs, less flexible rules and procedures, loss of a community feel, and decreased property values for residents. Only when new facilities are unaffordable is consolidation ever worth those costs.



To consolidate with Winlock would cost more than $7 million, as the 2016 FAC reported. Our taxes would go up by more than $0.99 per $1000 of assessed value, as we’d have to start paying Winlock’s bonds. Also, both Toledo and Winlock would have to approve, which they do not. 

I will be voting yes for the new school and will not fall for the misinformed advocates of consolidation. I urge all of you to do the same.

 

Ethan Siegel

Toledo