After four failed school construction bond attempts in the past two years, Sequim school leaders are looking for some fresh eyes from outside the district.
On Monday night, Sequim’s school board of directors voted 3-1 in favor of a $15,500 contract with CFW Advisory Services LLC to conduct a random sample telephone opinion survey of district voters for possible capital improvement projects and how to pay for them.
The board vote was 3-1 in favor, with board president Bev Horan, vice president Robin Henrikson and Jim Stoffer in favor and Mike Howe opposed; board member Heather Short was absent.
“At this point, the only survey we’ve been using to this point is at the polls,” Sequim schools superintendent Gary Neal said. “I don’t think we can continue to have bond (votes) as a scientific survey.”
Neal said the survey would include at least 375 phone calls to get a viable sample. The survey, he said, also comes with recommendations from CFW Advisory Services LLC for the district’s next steps.
“I saw the SARC and the YMCA work together for a positive result,” Stoffer said. “Here is another method different than what we did before. Hopefully, we can get some results to guide us.”
After a $154 million construction bond proposal failed in April 2014, the school district has run three more proposals: a $49.2 million bond plan in February 2015, a $49.3 million plan in November 2015 and a $54 million bond proposal in February 2016.
Each of the three recent proposals gained at least 57 percent of the overall vote but fell short of the 60 percent super majority required for passage.
Henrikson said she wishes the district had hired a similar group prior to the previous bond failures.
“My social scientist mind is saying, ‘We need to have an expert come in. They do this for a living.’”
Howe questioned whether this is the best use of school district funds.
“I don’t think there are going to be any surprises in a survey like this,” Howe said.
Neal said the hope in doing the survey is “not so much about information we don’t know, but (getting) a better predictor of what a community will support.”
Horan added, “In all my time here … we have not had someone outside of us offer a different view. They also come back with an action plan.”
Beyond the bonds
The school district also is considering the formation of a task force consisting in part of community members to address facility issues; Howe said he’d like to see the task force’s focus be beyond facility uses.
Neal also gave the board a short summary of feedback he and staff received at district listening sessions.
“There is a contingent of community members who were excited and willing to help out — I want to take advantage of that,” Neal said.
The feedback, Neal said, is helping build a bigger sense of what the community wants even beyond another possible bond vote, Neal said.
“There’s a lot of misinformation out there,” he added. “There are groups that still don’t have the correct information.”
Stoffer noted, “That feedback is very important; it shows that we are listening.”
Fees get a bump
The board voted unanimously to approve a recommendation to raise fees for rentals of school facilities for commercial and private groups and nonprofits.
“For me, it comes down to the last time we did this (adjust fees) was 2007,” Stoffer said. “These are very moderate changes.”
Howe, who recommended tabling the possibility of raising the fees at board’s March 21 meeting, said he initially had contact with groups who wanted to discuss the change but never heard back.
In March, Lewis recommended the board consider applying cost of living adjustments to reflect what rates should be and apply them as of Sept. 1, 2016. To make up for an eight-year gap in static rate fees, the district would bump fees about 16.8 percent for groups that use school facilities for for-profit, private or certain nonprofit uses.
Use of athletic fields for those groups, for example, will rise from $50 to $60 while use of the SHS auditorium for a performance would rise from $60 to $70.
Fees for other, predominantly youth-oriented uses help meet costs for custodial and supervision fees, Lewis said, while comparatively higher rates for other groups will help toward upkeep of costs such as sound systems and lighting.
Now taking plastic
The board voted unanimously to accept a contract with InTouch Receipting Suite that will allow the district to accept debit and credit card payments for any fees onsite at Sequim Middle School and Sequim High school, for items such as uniforms, pay-to-play fees and fines for lost books.
The district won’t be able to accept debit and credit cards for entrance fees to athletic events, district business manager Brian Lewis said, but people could buy season passes at the schools.
Previously, the district accepted debit and credit cards only online and for items such as meal tickets. All other payments had to be by cash or check.
“Our service hours are somewhat limited (and) people aren’t using checks anymore,” Lewis said.
The contract with InTouch is $8,710 and the school district recoups 40 cents per transaction via a convenience fee.
Lewis said the district eventually may add the service at the district’s two elementary schools.
New floors for Helen Haller Elementary
The board approved a $72,186 contract to remove carpeting in 20 classrooms at Helen Haller Elementary School and replace them with new vinyl tile.
Lewis said that 12 years ago the district installed carpet over carpet which can lead to unhealthy conditions.
Lewis said the district also is looking at bigger major maintenance issues, including roofing at both Greywolf Elementary School and Sequim Middle School, and HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) issues at Sequim High School.
Other action
The school board accepted letters of resignation from:
• Larry Hill, Sequim High School math teacher
• Brian Berg, teacher and professional development coordinator
• Debra Beckett, Sequim Middle School science teacher
• Speech/language pathologist Terilee Allsop-Howat
• Bryan Bissell, Sequim Middle School Language Arts teacher
• Elisha Howard, Helen Haller Elementary School first-grade teacher
• Donna Olson, teacher at Olympic Peninsula Academy
• Marcia Anderson, Helen Haller Elementary School paraeducator
• Heather Titterness, Sequim Middle School Living Skills paraeducator
• Jennifer Clevenger, Helen Haller Elementary Living Skills paraeducator
• paraeducator Mike Lovejoy
In other action the board also agreed to:
• approve a contract for services Tres West Engineers, Inc. to replace HVAC units at Sequim High School during the summers of 2016 and 2017, using Educational Program and Operations Levy funds
• open the process to selecting a new junior grade level student representative, with the deadline for applications set for May 26
• approve a contract with Lifetouch School Portraits for photography services
• approve overnight travel for Sequim High School Future Business Leaders of America students to attend the State FBLA Conference in Spokane (April 20-23)
• approve overnight travel for high school choir student soloists to compete in the State Solo and Ensemble State Solo and Ensemble Festival in Ellensburg (April 29-30)
• grant a leave of absence request from bus aide Melisa Edge
• offer a Classified Reading paraeducator position to Fani Hernandez
• offer Classified School Bus Driver position to Larry Morales.
