The temperature in Julie Creager’s classroom in Blaine Middle School can sometimes hit 92 degrees.
The sixth-grade English and social studies teacher said she tells her students when it’s that hot, they’re just going to do the best they can.
“We’re not going to stress ourselves out. We’re going to fan ourselves when we need to,” she said. “Cause you can’t think when it’s that hot.”
The high temperature is a symptom of working in a building built in 1956, with no significant updates since 2002.
In the February special election, the Blaine School District is putting two resolutions to voters: One is a standard replacement educational programs and operations levy to fund needs the state doesn’t cover. The other is a capital project bond to overhaul the Blaine Middle School and conduct major renovations to all of its instructional spaces, to ideally solve some of the problems staff and students face.
Combined, the proposed levy and bond tax rates are projected to stay the same as current 2024 rates, according to the district. Superintendent Christopher Granger said it was a priority of the School District’s Facilities Advisory Committee to maintain the same tax rate.
In addition to the middle school, the 25-year proposition for bonds, if passed, will allow the district to update Pipeline Sports Fields, update the Performing Arts Center and make some small improvements to the Point Roberts Primary campus. With money left over, the district hopes to develop a design for a new elementary school in Birch Bay, and update aging electrical and mechanical systems.
Bonds are sold to investors who are repaid with interest over time from the property tax collection, and they allow the district access to money to undertake large capital projects.
The district is aiming to raise $70 million and expects a flat bond rate of 76 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value over the next 25 years. According to the district, a home worth $500,000 in 2025 could expect to pay $6,618 over those 25 years, with the assumption of 2% growth in the district.
Creager, middle school principal Darren Benson and superintendent Christopher Granger all have high hopes for the renovations.
If the bond passes, Benson said he hopes they can remove the long hallways in the middle school that make it hard to ensure the safety, security and behavior of every student. Having students in better-coordinated areas in a section of the building — more pod-style — will make it easier to supervise them, he said.
The ability to regulate air temperature is also important to solve some of the issues of overheating classrooms, as is better integrating technology into classrooms, Benson said.
“I don’t think we’re looking for Siri-controlled classrooms necessarily,” Benson said, “but we’re looking for what’s going to work for our kids.” The goal is to complete the renovations by 2027, Granger said.
Granger said he hopes the fact that the middle school has lasted nearly 70 years is a positive sign for voters.
“I’m hoping that they see that as the confidence that if they are supportive of this measure, that [the school building] will be taken care of and remain in operation” for many years, he said.
Updating Pipeline Sports Fields by 2025 is another goal for the bond money. Granger said they plan to add turf, batting cages, restrooms and concession stands to make the facility easier to maintain and expand community access to the space.
Improving lighting, security and the playground at Point Roberts Primary School is a smaller goal for the district as well, he said. Replacing the stage and updating audio and visual technology in the Performing Arts Center, attached to the middle school, is also part of the plans.
Bonds are notoriously difficult to pass. According to the state superintendent, bonds — which require a supermajority of 60% — have only passed 45% of the time in the last decade.
But Blaine hasn’t had an issue passing levies and bonds in recent history, Granger said. In 2012 and 2015, voters supported bonds to fund the construction of the new Blaine High School, completed in 2019.
“[The community has] historically been supportive of this school district, so we’re just seeking to continue on that path and we’re appreciative of community support because it’s so important to the success of students and staff,” he said.
Replacement educational programs and operations levy
Also on the upcoming ballot is the replacement levy that will fund student transportation, extracurricular activities, staff costs, substitute teachers and more, according to the district. The levy is seeking a property tax rate of around $1.02 per $1,000 in assessed value, similar to the levy rates in 2023. For a house that is worth $500,000, that’s about $510 a year.
“Levies are … required for us to continue delivering quality education for the things that aren’t funded by the state model currently,” Granger said. Of the school district’s operating budget, about 17% comes from the levy.
If the levy doesn’t pass, Granger said the district would have to reevaluate operational costs. It would be about a $7 million cut from their budget, he said.
“We continue to advocate for full funding of public education, not just for Blaine, but for all school districts in Washington because we think that public education is a great way to get educated, and we think it should be funded to meet the needs of students,” he said.
