Measure would fund new school
CHENEY — The School Board unanimously approved Resolution 30-23-24 during its June 26 meeting, approving a motion to place a $73 million construction bond on the Nov. 5 ballot.
The bond aims to fund the construction and improvement of schools and land acquisition.
If approved, the proposed bond funds would be spent on construction of a new elementary school in Airway Heights and the purchase of land for future secondary and elementary schools. Additionally, the bond will cover the acquisition of land for a centralized transportation plan.
Finance Director Jennifer Reed assured the board that the budget is sufficient to complete the planned construction.
“The construction company is confident we can complete construction within the $73 million,” Reed told School Board Vice President Mark Scott.
The bond’s wording is similar to a Feb. 13 measure, which failed to garner voter support. Proposition 2 failed to meet the 60% approval requirement to pass a bond, only managing to get 54.4% of the vote, or 4,187 votes for it to 3,499 votes against it.
However, this time, district officials plan to revise their messaging strategy to better communicate the bond’s benefits to the community, said Reed.
The Cheney School District hired D.A. Davidson, a consulting firm, to help them strategize how to get the message out. D.A. Davidson advised the district to run the bond this November rather than August because voter turnout during presidential elections is substantially higher.
Clare is an Eastern Washington University graduate and a reporter at Free Press Publishing.
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