By ANNELI FOGT

Editor

The Vashon Island School District board on Thursday, Nov. 12, ultimately decided to go forward with the $26.9 million Phase 2 bond agreed upon at the Nov. 4 special meeting.

The amount will fund a new high school gym and track and field along with maintenance at all three schools and smaller renovation projects at Vashon High School. The bond will be officially passed by the board on Thursday, Nov. 19, and will go up for a public vote in February. A supermajority of at least 60 percent is needed for it to pass.

Roughly 25 islanders attended the Nov. 12 meeting, which was the last time islanders could make their voices heard before the official passing of the bond.

Board chair Laura Wishik opened the meeting by emphasizing that the bond amount is a compromise that was reached at the Nov. 4 meeting and that it is impossible to make everyone happy.

“Last time we were here we had a compromise that didn’t make anyone jump up and down with joy, but included what we thought everybody needed,” Wishik said.

After some conversation between board members, with Dan Chasan wanting to delay the bond vote and Kathy Jones countering, Wishik opened up the floor to the public. However, she said that only those who had not yet addressed the board about the bond would be allowed to speak.

“Those of you who have already spoken to us, we’ve listened and considered, but we haven’t been able to agree,” Wishik said.

Many of the attendees at Thursday night’s meeting were regulars from Vashon’s athletic community who had been attending meetings for weeks, but there were also some new faces. Retired teachers Kate Hunter and Jim Hauser both addressed the board with concerns about the school’s current facilities.

“Physical exercise improves students’ performance in everything; we know that,” Hauser said. “I’m disappointed to see the board not championing first-class facilities.”

Hunter said that she worked at the former high school when a large mold problem occurred. She said that the district needs to maintain facilities to keep something like that from happening again.

Two of the regulars, VHS track and field record holder Foss Miller and  Desiree Nelson, a mother of VHS athletes, previously voiced their frustrations with the nearly $27 million bond at the Nov. 4 meeting, saying it was not enough. The two did not speak at the Thursday meeting because of the restrictions on who could speak.

Reached on Friday, VHS Athletic Director Andy Sears said that there are things that the athletic community was hoping would be part of the bond that aren’t, but now that a decision is made, it’s time to come together and support it.

“We were so close to meeting all the needs that were there,” Sears said. “It’s a little disappointing, but it’s important we all come together now and support the decision because this could be a big step forward for what our student-athletes need and deserve.”

The bond will not fund a full renovation of the VHS bleachers that would create restrooms and a new concessions stand under a new set of bleachers. The idea was proposed as part of a more expensive bond plan, and was supported by the athletic community, but abandoned by the board because of the expense.

Wishik seconded Sears’ comments Friday by saying that while the bond doesn’t offer absolutely everything,  it could bring numerous improvements.

“The folks who are disapointed will probably realize they’re getting a heck of a lot,” Wishik told The Beachcomber Friday. “If this doesn’t pass, it will be years before they can get another chance.”

She also said that the school district will now begin putting the facts out for the community. Legally, board members and those affiliated with the school district cannot promote the bond, but can distribute materials explaining where the money is coming from and where it will be going.

“There will need to be people not associated with the board who can go out there and campaign,” Wishik said. “It will probably be me since I will no longer be on the board (come December).”

For a complete breakdown of the bond allocation, see the Nov. 11 Beachcomber article, “School board reaches tentative bond amount decision.”

In other district financial news, the board had been planning on including a capital and technology levy on the February ballot along with the bond, but decided last week to hold it pending the outcome of the bond election.

If the bond does not pass in February, the board will have to increase the levy to make up for it.

Without the bond funds, the levy would need to be increased from the current $900,000 to roughly $1.2 million, Wishik said at the Thursday meeting. The increase would account for the $1.86 million in scheduled maintenance at the district’s three schools that is included in the bond.