Voters in the Napavine School District in the Nov. 7 general election will decide the fate of the school district’s proposal for expansion and renovation of the junior/senior high school and construction of new, permanent classrooms for middle school students.
The bond would fund other infrastructure and safety improvements at the Napavine School District, and would collect up to $19 million over a maximum of 25 years. The measure would charge non-exempt property owners an estimated $1.46 per $1,000 of assessed value, or $48.67 per month for a $400,000 home, and would require the district to levy annual excess property taxes to repay the bonds.
Superintendent Shane Schutz, when speaking about a proposed measure earlier this year, said the growth in Napavine and the surrounding communities (which are also included in the school district) will mean growth in the Napavine School District’s enrollment.
As a bond proposal, the measure needs 60% of the vote plus one to pass.
If passed, the district would embark on a construction project to move middle school students out of the portables they currently use into permanent instructional and administrative space, according to previous reporting by The Chronicle.
The district has previously said its plan would be to move sixth graders up to middle school to free up room at the elementary level; build an auxiliary gym that would allow physical education classes to move out of the elementary cafeteria; build a kitchen at the high school and increase the size of the student common area; and provide upgrades and renovations to the existing high school and annex to increase the life of those facilities.
It would likely take two years from the measure’s passage to acquire all the necessary permits and complete construction, Schultz previously told The Chronicle.
In addition to improving the buildings for existing teachers and students, Schutz, earlier this year, said he hopes the renovations will help make Napavine School District more competitive when it comes to attracting and hiring new teachers.
Learn more about the measure in the voters’ pamphlet, online at vote.wa.gov. Certain property owners also qualify for tax exemptions, and those qualifications were recently expanded. Call the Lewis County Assessor’s Office at 360-740-1392 to learn more.
Visit https://www.napavineschools.org/home/2023-bond for more information.
