The Vashon Island School Board has had several discussions about what the district should seek in its next bond measure for the high school campus. It’s now time to pull the public into this discussion.
Should the district opt for a bare-bones measure, focused solely on replacing its wholly inadequate track? Or should it also address shortages in recreational space and ask voters to pay for a new gym?
Does a synthetic field make more sense than a grass field? Should the old but serviceable bleachers be replaced by a grandstand? And what should come of Building F, the brick structure built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Roosevelt Administration?
Foundational to all of this is the hardest question of all: What do voters believe they can afford? Vashon voters already backed a $48 million bond measure to build a new high school. Board member Bob Hennessey talks about how each generation needs to carry its civic weight when it comes to our public schools. How much more weight should this current generation of taxpayers be asked to carry?
At the board’s last planning session, the members tackled some of these issues, with three of them saying they preferred a $25 million measure — the low end of the options district officials and architects had put before them. It was a strong stance: Superintendent Michael Soltman clearly wanted the board to endorse a more ambitious proposal.
But this dynamic and sometimes tense conversation between board members and district officials is only part of the story. The voices still unheard are those of voters.
Once the board has a proposal in hand, it plans to hold some forums, where islanders can see the options, ask questions and voice their opinions. Critical to the success of these discussions will be two issues: the participation of islanders with a range of opinions and the board listening fully and well to what they’re saying.
The fact is, the board has already held meetings about the district’s facility needs with so-called “stakeholders” — coaches and league directors who use the gym and fields on a regular basis. But as board member Dan Chasan recently noted, those folks aren’t stakeholders, they’re people with vested interests. The stakeholders are all the island’s taxpayers.
The board was thoughtful and circumspect at the last planning session, voicing a preference for a modest approach in the face of pressure to do more. What’s not clear is if this approach will be modest enough on an island that’s been hesitant to embrace improved athletic facilities.
It’s now time for the next step. It’s time for islanders to speak up and for the board to listen. Only then will the board be able to craft a package that might get over a high hurdle — the 60 percent supermajority required in bond measures.
