Question Button

Frequent Questions

If you don't find the answer to your question below, please contact us.

Click here for information about property tax exemptions and deferrals for seniors and the disabled.

Funding

Q: How do schools in Washington State pay for capital improvements?
A: Capital improvements (like new roofs and construction) are paid for by local taxpayers through a voter-approved school bond. Based on demographic data, Anacortes is considered an affluent area which means very little state matching funding is available to us. Levy (operating funds) cannot in most cases be used for capital projects.
Q: What is the difference between a bond and a levy?
A: Levies are for learning; bonds are for building. Bonds are typically used for capital facilities needs. Voters approve a measure allowing the school district to borrow money for facilities improvements. The district issues bonds to raise the money. Similar to a home mortgage, the district repays the money (plus interest) in installments over time. Bond dollars can only be used for capital improvements. Levies are used to raise funds for school district operations, such as teacher's salaries and support services. When voters approve a levy, they are agreeing to pay taxes to fund these services. Levy dollars cannot be used for capital improvements.
Q: Why don't we wait until the existing bonds are paid off to do this work?
A: We can't wait because the critical building systems (like the roof, drainage, electrical and water) are at or beyond their useful lives. Once these systems fail, the community's investment in the schools begins to be lost. We can't wait because we have real safety concerns that have to be addressed to keep our students, teachers and other visitors safe.
Q: Shouldn't the projects be broken up into a series of smaller bond issues over 5 or 10 years?
A: The successful work that was done in the 1990s at the Middle School, Island View, and Fidalgo demonstrated that the district is capable of managing complex, multi-site renovations concurrently. Commercial construction costs are rising at a much faster rate than consumer inflation, so delaying projects will result in higher costs.
Q: If the bond passes, can the school district use the money for any capital improvements?
A: No. State law mandates that the proceeds of a bond can only be used for the capital improvements approved by the voters of the community. In addition, the board has voted to return any reamining funds to the taxpayer.
Q: If property values increase, will my taxes increase?
A: No. The school district is permitted to sell bonds only as authorized by the voters -- $62.9 million in this case. In the aggregate, if property values increase, the tax rate will decrease, so the dollar amount each homeowner pays stays constant. Learn more about how school bonds work.

History

Q: Didn't we remodel all the schools in the 90's? If not, why not?
A: In the 1990s, a facilities committee was formed to review the current school facilities and evaluate their condition and how well they supported the current educational programs. Based on feedback at that time, it was decided to work in a particular order based on need. Fidalgo, Island View, Whitney, and the Middle School were completely renovated. The High School received renovation in several areas, including adding two regular classrooms in the Career & Technical Education wing (to reduce overcrowding). In addition, the cafeteria was expanded and kitchen, administrative area, and several classrooms were reworked. Those items are complete and in good condition, and will not need to be redone.
Q: Didn't we run a bond last year?
A: In the spring of 2007, the Anacortes School District proposed the same projects to the voters. In that election, well over 50% of the voters approved the measure, but it didn't reach the 60% supermajority required for passage of school bonds. Based on discusssions with the facilities committee in the fall of 2007, the school board unanimously decided to make a second effort to secure voter funding for the same list of needed repairs and improvements. This vote will take place in February of 2008.
Q: What is the status of the bonds that were authorized to do the renovation work in the mid-late 1990s?
A: These bonds have an outstanding balance of just over $24M. These bonds continue to be paid off annually, and the payments will be complete in 2016. The district refinanced to capture lower rates on these bonds in 2003, a smart decision that will save the taxpayers over $1.6M.
Q: Is the High School overcrowded?
A: In 1976, the district served less than 750 high school students. Today there are over 1,000. Some teachers have a cart instead of a classroom, rolling their teaching materials around the building to use classrooms that are open during that period. We have three portable classrooms that are used daily, and rolling walls are used to separate Brodniak auditorium into three separate lecture classrooms that are also used daily. The bond proposal will build some additional classrooms…but it is mainly about making sure our classrooms are appropriate (size, infrastructure, lighting) for the use they are intended for. It will also add some space to the library, cafeteria and student commons to reduce overcrowding in these areas.
Q: Isn't school district enrollment declining?
A: In the 1980s, the district enrollment increased sharply, peaking at 3194 students in 1998-1999. Since then we have seen a slight decline of 7%. The high school population peaked in 2003 at 1089 students, and has since declined by about 5% to 1035. Relative to 20 years ago, the district serves 40% more students. Even without rezoning, there are existing lots on Fidalgo Island to support hundreds of new families moving into the area in coming years.

Safety

Q: What are the safety concerns at Mt Erie?
A: Recent years have seen a greater number of parents/guardians dropping their children off at the start of school and picking up at the end of the day. The on-site and off-site parking options are very limited at Mt. Erie, resulting in a situation where children walk or run through the bus and car pickup lanes to reach parents in the parking lots beyond. Cars back up onto 41st Street, which blocks the through traffic. Also, there is an increasing number of evening programs at our schools. Increasing on-site parking and providing lighting in these lots and near building entrances will improve safety as well. Provisions will be made to limit access only to the authorized areas of the school.
Q: What are the safety concerns at the High School?
A: The high school has issues with students getting safely into and out of the school. There is no off-street bus waiting area, forcing buses to line up on 20th Street. Many students walk to school, and walk through the bus area on their way to the town or their homes. Another concern relates to unmonitored exterior doors. Today's high school has over 35 exterior doors that are very difficult to monitor. The situation is worse during a lock-down, when each of these doors must be checked. The renovation will improve the situation by reducing the number of doors and enabling the monitoring of these doors from a central location. The facility committee considered the movement of students and staff within the buildings. Currently we often suffer "gridlock" in the hallways at the high school. The recommendations of the committee provide additional routes for students. Some of the classes in the CTE wing (like Metals) have been forced to reduce enrollment to mitigate the dangers of students working in close quarters. Each year, a number of students are unable to take that course due to limited class sizes. Also, there is an increasing number of evening programs at our schools. Increasing on-site parking and providing lighting in these lots and near building entrances will improve safety as well. Provisions will be made to limit access only to the authorized areas of the school.

Plans

Q: Are the plans I saw at the (office/district meeting) final designs?
A: No, although they look complete, the district has found (through the successful renovations of the 1990s), that we can be much more accurate in our cost estimating by creating a feasible design, instead of simply adding up space requirements. The next step would be to engage a school architect to define the interior and exterior in more details.
Q: How will these facility upgrades improve student achievement? How will the remodel bring up our math and science scores?
A: Research clearly shows that students learn better in well-designed school settings. In addition, technology and our quickly changing world require our students to be prepared in ways that we could not have predicted thirty years ago. When the high school was last remodeled about 30 years ago, nobody could have predicted the huge infrastructure demands of our current technology programs – back then we were concerned with powering sewing machines and running extra outlets for the new electric typewriters. Computer labs in our Career and Technical Education wing have a difficult time exhausting or recirculating the excess heat generated by the technology. Students have to contend with rooms that can't get cooler than 80 degrees, even in the winter months.
Q: Do community members use the schools?
A: Yes. There is a continuous demand for community use of our buildings. Our facilities are used by Anacortes Parks and Recreation, AAU sports, the An-O-Chords, local quilters, several local churches, this spring by the new Anacortes Senior College, and the list goes on. This usage aligns with long standing district policy that supports the concept of encouraging community use of our buildings that belong to all of us, not just the students and teachers.
Q: Isn't the artificial turf field an expensive luxury?
A: Ten years ago, artificial turf was a luxury. But cost and technology have made the turf go from being a luxury to a cost savings. When considering the expenses of maintenance (reseeding, periodic regrading, weed control, watering, fertilizing) of a real grass field, the higher initial cost is recovered in lower operating costs. The ability to use the facility daily – year 'round – (for everything from physical education, Anacortes Parks and Recreation leagues, and county events) adds to the utility of what would otherwise be an expensive, limited-use facility.
Q: Why renovate the auditorium?
A: Brodniak Auditorium was the best facility of its kind in Skagit County until the completion of McIntyre Hall on the east side of Mt. Vernon. In its 31 years, it has served our community and school well, but that long-term use has left it worn. For example, parts are unavailable for repairing the seats, so every year the district maintenance team searches across the country to find parts that somewhat match the existing seats. The orchestra pit takes on water in the rainy months. The lighting system has failed repeatedly.