Both of Sequim School District’s propositions for a four-year Educational Programs & Operations (EP&O) levy renewal and a 20-year construction bond have passed.

With less than 100 ballots left to count on Feb. 17 in Clallam and Jefferson counties, the EP&O levy renewal (Proposition 1) was passing with 9,678 votes (68.3%) to 4,486 votes (31.7%), and the approximate $146 million 20-year construction bond (Proposition 2) was passing with 9,168 votes (65.6%) to 4,821 votes (34.4%) as the Sequim Gazette prepared to go to press.

Percentages remained nearly the same from the special election’s Feb. 11 initial tally. The election is expected to be certified on Friday, Feb. 21.

The bond needed a “super-majority” of 60%-plus-one vote to pass and the levy a simple majority to pass (50% plus one). The next ballot tabulation will take place Wednesday.

“I am feeling so happy for the students,” said Sequim School District Superintendent Regan Nickels.

“I feel like the students are the absolute winners here — both our students now who can see their community invested in them, but then the ones who are coming in our future, who’re going to experience these buildings and new facilities.”

She’s also happy for staffers “who have waited so long for this type of an opportunity to present itself,” she said.

Between registered voters in Clallam and Jefferson counties in Sequim School District, there was an approximate 50.4% turnout.

School officials said they met a requirement for voter turnout to equal at least 40% of the voters who cast ballots in the previous General Election (November 2024).

This bond is the district’s first attempt since a string of four failed attempts, with the last in Feb. 2016 for $54 million falling short of the needed supermajority with 57.4% of the vote.

Sequim School District voters last approved a construction bond in Feb. 1996 for $25 million to build Sequim Middle School (opened in 1998) and with new classrooms (H-building) and a playfield at Sequim High School. Sequim’s EP&O levies have now passed in the last six attempts.

What’s proposed?

The $146 million special election construction bond includes plans to:

• Replace Helen Haller Elementary School with a new building

• Build new instructional wings at Sequim High School to connect to remaining buildings

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

• Upgrade athletic field and facilities at the stadium with new surfacing, expand the track, and make bleachers, bathrooms, etc., compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act

• Improve or replace the 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

For the four-year, approximate $36.2 million EP&O levy renewal, district staff said it helps fund teacher and staffing levels, extracurricular activities and athletics, library, music, counseling, nursing, transportation and more.

Nickels previously said the district receives about 17% of its funding from local sources, such as the EP&O levy.

District officials report a majority of Helen Haller Elementary dates back to the 1970s to host about 350 children in kindergarten-fifth grade, but today it hosts about 530 students in grades 3-5. Most of the building’s portables date back to 1988, according to district documents.

Sequim High School’s five, four-room pods A-E were built more than 50 years ago, and house various classes, including science, with staff saying the equipment and space have become outdated.

Both Helen Haller and the high school have open California designs that district officials said are unsafe, and the bond would help better enclose and fund safety improvements for all campuses.

Greywolf Elementary opened in 1991 without a cafeteria, and students must eat in their classrooms.

Cost

Combined, the 20-year bond ($0.91) and four-year levy rate ($0.94) was proposed to school district voters at $1.85 per $1,000 assessed value per year of a property for residents from R Corner to the west, to Gardiner in the east, and Olympic National Park to the south.

Rate collection for the bond and levy would start in 2026.

District staff estimate that homeowners with a $340,000 assessed value would see an increase of about $190.44 more a year starting in 2026, or $15.87 more a month.

For the owner of a $485,000 home, they’d see an increase in schools taxes from this year to next of about $23 more per month or $276 more a year starting in 2026.

Due to Helen Haller Elementary School’s age, the school district will receive $5.2 million from the State Construction Assistance Program (SCAP) to reduce the total proposed bond amount to $145,950,000.

District officials said how much the proposed bond amount came to was determined through state and federal standards according to the district’s enrollment numbers and square footage standards per student.

Next?

To celebrate the passage of the levy and bond, the school district will host a Community Certification Celebration Open House from 3:30-5:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21st in the Sequim High School Cafeteria, 601 N. Sequim Ave.

There, residents can sign a shovel used to break ground on the construction projects. There will also be treats available.

Residents can also apply to serve on two different committees for the bond — the Bond Oversight Committee and the Design Advisory Committee.

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

According to the district, “the Bond Oversight Committee (BOC) will represent a broad cross-section of community members to provide, in coordination with the Superintendent and the District Project Team, transparency and accountability through quarterly review of delivery of the 2025 Bond Projects.” Applications are due by March 14.

The Design Advisory Committee will be comprised of a broad-based group of up to 25 members representing various district stakeholders.

According to the district, “the committee will be charged with researching best practices for elementary school facilities, high school facilities, athletic facilities, secure entrances at schools, and transportation/traffic flow; soliciting community input; sharing their own expertise; and reviewing and providing feedback on design ideas. Applications are due by April 18.

For more information about the levy and bond, visit sequimschools.org.

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

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash Sequim Middle School principal Kristen Lunt takes a photo of the Sequim School District’s special election results on Feb. 11. Results as of Feb. 17 show the district’s levy renewal and bond for two new schools and upgrades across the district had passed.