Sequim School District staff and supporters came together last week to celebrate the certification of the Feb. 11 special election with the construction bond and levy renewal propositions officially passing.

“The results show it’s very important to all of us, and that voters trust us to move forward and do what is right by students,” said Sequim Schools’ Superintendent Regan Nickels on Feb. 21.

She and school supporters gathered inside the Sequim High School Cafeteria that afternoon with district staff, parents and board members sharing their thanks. Attendees signed a shovel that will be used at ceremonial groundbreaking events for the district’s bond construction projects.

Chris White, a parent-volunteer for the district’s Long Range Facilities Planning Group, said he and others group members could feel the support for the bond proposal in the community. The 13-member planning group made recommendations to the school board in December, with the largest going to voters as the bond proposal.

“It’s nice that you get to do so much,” White said.

The four-year approximate $36.2 million Educational Programs & Operations (EP&O) levy renewal (Proposition 1) met the simple majority (50% plus one) threshold, and the $146 million, 20-year construction bond (Proposition 2) reached the needed supermajority (60%-plus-one vote).

Voters broke a streak of four failed bond attempts since the district’s last bond proposition for $54 million in Feb. 2016.

This election, the levy passed with 9,738 (68.3%) yes votes to 4,513 (31.7%) against, while the bond received 9,256 (65.6%) votes for and 4,849 (34.4%) votes against.

Turnout for the bond and levy in Sequim School District boundaries in Clallam County and a portion of Jefferson County came in at about 51%, and met a requirement to equal at least 40% of turnout from the 2024 General Election.

This election is the sixth straight time the levy has been renewed to support staffing levels, extracurricular activities and athletics, music, counseling, transportation and more.

The bond includes multiple elements, including plans to:

• Replace Helen Haller Elementary School

• Build interconnected wings at Sequim High School

• Add a cafeteria at Greywolf Elementary School, and update its bus loop, parking lot, and heating, ventilation and air condition (HVAC)

• Upgrade the district’s athletic field and stadium facilities with track expansion, improved bleachers, bathrooms, and more

• Improve or replace the district’s Transportation Center

• Create a new bus loop through the school district’s main campus

• Improve safety and security at all schools, including Sequim Middle School and Olympic Peninsula Academy

The last approved construction bond in Feb. 1996 for $25 million paid for a new Sequim Middle School, new high school classrooms (H-building) and a playfield at Sequim High School.

District officials said the push for this bond stemmed largely from costs to repair aging and antiquated facilities, and that both Helen Haller and the high school have unsafe open campus designs that are easily accessible from the outside.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Sequim School board director Maren Halverson signs a shovel on Feb. 21 that district officials will use in groundbreaking ceremonies for different construction bond projects. District officials celebrated the special election being certified and a construction bond and Education Programs & Operations levy passing.

Committees

Nickels said on Feb. 21 that administrative staff will focus a lot of energy on forming two previously announced committees — the Bond Oversight Committee and the Design Advisory Committee.

She said for each bond element, including the schools, athletic stadium, and Transportation Center, they’ll need people’s input for design.

Applications for the Design Advisory Committee are due by April 18 and will include up to 25 members.

The district also seeks community members to “really keep their eye on the transparency, the communication to the community and building the trust that we all want,” Nickels said of the Bond Oversight Committee. Applications for that are due by March 14.

Those interested can go to sequimschools.org and look for the “Bond Program” tab and find the applications.

Nickels said district staff will also approach the school board in the coming months with a resolution for bond sales, and for a construction management firm.

Timelines for construction will be set at a later date, district staff said.

Rate collection for new bond and levy rates at a combined $1.85 per $1,000 assessed value per year of a property will begin in 2026.

Homeowners with a house assessed at $485,000 would have their school property taxes increase by about $23 more per month or $276 more a year from 2025’s rate in 2026, district officials reported, with the overall cost for the bond being reduced to current homeowners as new homes are built and assessed to share in the bond amount.

District staff also anticipate Sequim receiving $5.2 million from the State Construction Assistance Program (SCAP) due to its age, thus reducing the approximate total to $146 million.

For more information about the school district, visit sequimschools.org.

Note: Matthew Nash has family employed and enrolled in Sequim School District.

Image courtesy Sequim School District/ A conceptual layout from Sequim School District’s main campus shows where the proposed $146 million bond could move some facilities, such as a new building for Helen Haller Elementary behind its existing facility. While no design elements have been set, district officials said they seek members for its Design Advisory Committee.