Snoqualmie Valley School District will float a $189 million bond March 11, asking voters to support a new 1,200-student high school with a stadium, as well as a 500-student elementary school.

The Snoqualmie Valley School District Board of Directors made their bond decision in a special meeting Tuesday, Dec. 18, picking “option 2,” one of the plans recommended by the district’s Facilities Task Force.

Also among recommended options was “option 1,” a 1,200-seat high school minus the stadium, totaling $184 million. “Option 3,” less favored by the task force, called for a 1,000-student high school, also without a stadium, for about $165 million, as well as a new elementary school.

The upcoming 2008 bond proposition looks similar to last year’s proposal, which fell short at the polls in February and May, both elections just shy of the required 60 percent supermajority. District officials said that is because the same issues of overcrowding remain and have grown more urgent.

Bond differences

The primary difference in this fall’s bond approach was a focus to reduce costs for taxpayers, according to district spokeswoman Carolyn Malcolm. Besides trimming the high school size, the district also trimmed the planned sixth elementary school on Snoqualmie Ridge from 600 students to 500. The trimming has some benefits, Malcolm said, because a 500-student cap makes the school a more ideal size for student learning.

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