2024 Bond FAQ

A community Facilities Needs Advisory Committee—made up of parents, staff, students and community members— went through a four-month, comprehensive data-driven planning process to bring forth recommendations to the Board of Directors (link to FNAC PDF). Four significant factors were considered when selecting these projects:

• Safety, health and security of students and employees
• Program
• Condition
• Capacity 

Building Adequacy Reports were also thoroughly reviewed, and those items with a classification of “poor” or “unsatisfactory” were included in the “primary concerns” of the advisory committee’s recommendations.

With each passing year, our aging facilities and overcrowding issues make it more challenging to meet the needs of our students. Even though we have maintained our buildings well, they are aging and outgrowing the educational needs of today’s students.

Additionally, several factors led the FNAC to recommend these specific projects, including:

• Our elementary schools are operating well above capacity with continued growth forecasted in our district;
• The facilities at Glenwood, Skyline and Lake Stevens Middle Schools are not adequately meeting  students' needs;
• We need to serve all of our students by creating spaces for specialized learning in LSSD, rather than sending our students to other districts;
• Our aging facilities need important safety and security upgrades; and 
• Our proposed projects qualify for state funding assistance, which maximizes the power of taxpayer dollars.

The passage of the November bond benefits all students and staff throughout the district—and the entire community. Great schools attract business and new residents. Lake Stevens School District is highly desired and continues to grow as more people seek out our schools.

This helpful graphic shows how each school will benefit from the proposed bond projects.

When we invest in our schools, we’re ensuring that students have safe, modern facilities where they can learn and thrive. This not only benefits the students, but also enhances property values, supports local businesses, and fosters a stronger community. A well-educated population is essential for the future success of our community and the next generation. Our community’s history of backing these initiatives has allowed us to build and maintain schools that serve our growing population. Community engagement in these initiatives is vital in keeping our schools equipped to handle future growth and educational needs.

If approved by voters, the replacement school construction bond would be a slightly increased cost to the average Lake Stevens homeowner of $0.56 per $1,000 of assessed value. The total cost of all bonds is projected to be $1.76 per $1,000 of assessed value (this includes the 2016 bond and the new bond). The increase is an investment of about $1 a day or $350 per year for a home valued at $625,000—the median assessed value in Snohomish County. The total bond amount is $314 million.

The bonds approved in 2005 will be paid off in the next calendar year. These bonds paid for the building of Cavelero Mid High School; the modernization of Hillcrest, Mt. Pilchuck and Sunnycrest Elementary Schools; and facilities improvements at Lake Stevens High School, including the new stadium.

We will maximize almost $60 million in state construction assistance funds to minimize the costs to our taxpayers. These funds are only available to school districts after the successful passage of a school construction bond. In addition, school impact fees paid by developers of new homes, will also go towards the projects.

No. In Washington, school construction and capital projects are funded by voter-approved bonds. The state provides partial matching funds, only after voters pass a bond and build schools. We will stretch taxpayer dollars by leveraging approximately $60 million in state construction dollars.

By law, we cannot use general fund dollars or local levies to build new schools or modernize existing ones. These funds are designated for the day-to-day operations of our schools, such as paying for teachers, staff, utilities and supplies. Only bonds can be used to finance major construction projects. 

In Washington, school construction and capital projects are funded by voter-approved bonds. The state provides partial matching funds, only after voters pass a bond and build schools. We will stretch taxpayer dollars by leveraging approximately $60 million in state construction dollars.

The last bond was passed in 2016 and funded the modernization and expansion of Lake Stevens High School, the building of Stevens Creek Elementary School and the Early Learning Center, and districtwide updates to safety, security, health and infrastructure systems at all schools.

The bonds approved in 2005 will be paid off in the next calendar year. These bonds paid for the building of Cavelero Mid High School; the modernization of Hillcrest, Mt. Pilchuck and Sunnycrest Elementary Schools; and facilities improvements at Lake Stevens High School, including the new stadium.

No. Lake Stevens voters approved a replacement Educational Programs & Operations levy and a replacement Technology levy in February 2022. A helpful thing to remember is that levies—“L”—are for Learning and the day-to-day operation of schools and bonds—“B”—provide for the construction and major improvements of Buildings. 

The last bond was passed in 2016 and funded the modernization and expansion of Lake Stevens High School, the building of Stevens Creek Elementary School and the Early Learning Center, and districtwide updates to safety, security, health and infrastructure systems at all schools.

The bonds approved in 2005 will be paid off in the next calendar year. These bonds paid for the building of Cavelero Mid High School; the modernization of Hillcrest, Mt. Pilchuck and Sunnycrest Elementary Schools; and facilities improvements at Lake Stevens High School, including the new stadium.

Ballots will be mailed to registered voters around Oct. 18. Completed ballots can be returned by postal mail (no postage necessary) and must be postmarked by midnight on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. Ballots may also be returned to a secure ballot drop box. In Lake Stevens, the drop box is located downtown near the boat launch, 1800 Main Street. The ballot box is open until 8 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. 

If you aren’t a registered voter, or if you need to update your voter registration, you can do that online at voter.votewa.gov.

Our community is growing and our schools are serving more students than ever before. The growth in our community and the overcrowding in our schools comes as no surprise. We have a strong partnership with the City of Lake Stevens and Snohomish County to forecast for new housing and growth. 

The population in our district—which serves students in Lake Stevens and parts of Marsyville, Snohomish and Granite Falls—has grown approximately 18 percent in the last eight years. Enrollment in LSSD has grown almost 10 percent during this time. Currently there are more than 800 elementary students and up to 360 middle school students who are learning in temporary classrooms.

While we work hard every day to be good stewards of our resources, some of our buildings and systems have simply outlived their functional life.

The growth in our community and the resulting overcrowding in our schools come as no surprise. We have a strong partnership with the City of Lake Stevens and Snohomish County to forecast new housing and anticipate community growth. However, the school district does not have the authority to control or regulate growth—those decisions are made by city and county officials. Our mission is to serve the students in our community, which includes adapting to the increasing number of families moving into the area.

Over the past eight years, the population within our district—which serves students in Lake Stevens, as well as parts of Marysville, Snohomish, and Granite Falls—has grown by approximately 18 percent. During this time, enrollment in Lake Stevens School District has increased by nearly 10 percent. 

Currently, more than 800 elementary students and up to 360 middle school students are learning in temporary classrooms. To address this, we need to secure funding through bonds, as they are the only way to finance the construction of new schools and modernize existing ones to accommodate this growth.

School district boundaries do not follow city boundaries. Lake Stevens School District serves students in the cities of Lake Stevens, Granite Falls, Marysville, Snohomish and unincorporated areas of Snohomish County. Families who live in the Whiskey Ridge area of Marysville live in the Lake Stevens School District and pay annual property taxes that benefit our district.

At the elementary level, there are currently more than 30 portables used as temporary classrooms, serving more than 800 students, with 14 more used for music, PE and other support services. The community Facilities Needs Advisory Committee determined that our most immediate need was to add permanent classroom space at the elementary level by modernizing and expanding Glenwood and Skyline Elementary Schools, building a new elementary school, and modernizing and expanding Lake Stevens Middle School.

Lake Steven High School (LSHS) was modernized and expanded with funding from the 2016 bond. The expansion at LSHS was built to accommodate future growth based on enrollment projections from the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. 

The new Secondary Innovative Learning Center, one of the projects included in the 2024 bond, will also draw enrollment from LSHS and our secondary schools by offering non-traditional learning opportunities for students who need additional support. 

The design of the high school modernization focused on creating spaces where students feel a sense of belonging and are prepared for their next steps—whether that’s college, career, or technical training. Design decisions were made with input and participation from many groups, but the primary focus was on the students and staff of the school. In our conversations and tours of other facilities, a recurring theme was the need for students to feel connected to their environment and to have spaces that would prepare them for their future paths.

The design of the high school modernization was completed within the budget that voters approved as part of the 2016 bond package.

The new and renovated spaces were modeled after local and state higher education facilities, as well as business and technology environments. The Career and Technical Education classrooms and workspaces provide students with hands-on experiences in manufacturing, culinary and technology environments in which they might find themselves after graduation. And the common spaces, like the library, cafeteria and Viking Hall, also reflect similar spaces we observed in post-secondary education and businesses in our area.

This approach was validated by the positive response from students and staff, who felt respected and inspired by the sophisticated, real-world design that mirrors the environments they might work in after graduation.

Cavelero was opened in 2007 to address overcrowding at the middle and high school levels. The school currently serves grades 8-9, and will continue to do so for a while based on secondary enrollment projections from the state, county and district.

Cavelero is expandable to become a second high school when enrollment in grades 9-12 reaches a point when it becomes necessary, but we are not at this point yet.

Yes, but not yet. The most immediate need is in our elementary schools where there are more than 800 students learning in temporary classrooms. 

As part of the bond, Lake Stevens Middle School will be modernized and expanded to support more students. Future bond projects could include modernizing and expanding North Lake Middle School, once it becomes eligible for state construction assistance funds. This will further support middle school capacity.

Before Cavelero can become a second high school, we would need to build a third middle school. Eighth-graders would return to middle schools and ninth-graders would move up to the two high schools. If Cavelero were to become a high school right now, there would be approximately 25 unused classrooms between it and LSHS.

While our enrollment is growing districtwide, the most immediate need is in our elementary schools. 

The majority of current and expected residential growth in our community is in the northwest portion of the district. The district-owned Lake Drive property, across from Stevens Creek, is located in this growth area and already has the infrastructure in place (road, sewer, utilities) to support another school. When built, start and dismissal times for the two elementaries and the Early Learning Center will be staggered to reduce traffic and neighborhood impacts. 

It is not uncommon for districts to build several schools on the same property, as land acquisition for districts can be very expensive and difficult. While we do own the Lochsloy property, it is in unincorporated Snohomish County, outside the Urban Growth Area, where development is not expected to occur and where schools are difficult to permit and build.

Once the new elementary school is complete, it will temporarily house students from Glenwood Elementary School while their school is being modernized and expanded. A timeline of construction activities and logistics is still pending and will be finalized and widely communicated upon passage of the bond.

When new schools are built, school boundaries must be reviewed to ensure that each school has a balanced enrollment. Prior to the opening of the new elementary school, a community Boundary Revision Committee will be formed to review data and make the best decision possible for students.

• Our schools are an investment from past tax dollars and must be maintained.
• Taxpayers own the schools.
• Good schools support and foster good business.
• The reputation of our community depends on safe and modern schools.
• Property values increase in communities that support public education.
• Extending the life of aging schools protects the investment that the community has made in our schools.

Yes. Detailed information is available from the Snohomish County Assessor’s Office at 425-388-3433.

Over the past two bond campaigns, the district has consistently managed projects to maximize the taxpayer resources, and to deliver more than was originally promised. Our community is involved in this process through our Facilities Needs Advisory Committee—made up of parents and caregivers, employees, students and community members. The committee studied facility needs and enrollment data to bring a recommendation to our Board of Directors in early 2024. The board approved the bond resolution in May 2024.

Here’s a snapshot of the expectations and what was delivered in the last two bond campaigns.

2005 Bond: We promised projects like a new mid high school, modernization of several elementary schools, and improvements at Lake Stevens High School (LSHS). In addition to these, we also completed additional projects such as:

• Track and field events area surfacing and stadium lights at LSHS
• Expanded seating, visitor bleachers at LSHS stadium
• Synthetic baseball, softball infields at LSHS
• Synthetic field at CAV
• New softball fields, walking paths at Hillcrest and Mt Pilchuck Elementary Schools

2016 Bond: We promised a new elementary school, Early Learning Center, and modernization of Lake Stevens High School, along with districtwide security improvements and infrastructure repairs. Beyond these commitments, we also added:

• Additional security equipment (cameras and electronic locks) at all schools and support facilities
• Kindergarten additions at Glenwood, Highland, Hillcrest, Mt. Pilchuck, Skyline and Sunnycrest Elementary Schools
• Additional classrooms at Stevens Creek Elementary School
• Additional modernized spaces at LSHS
• HomeLink and district warehouse spaces at LSHS
• Track replacement and exterior painting at CAV
• Gym roof replacements at Lake Stevens and North Lake Middle Schools
• New playfield and connection to sewer at Glenwood Elementary School
• Renovation of Hillcrest West for additional classrooms
• Modular classrooms at Skyline and Glenwood
• Skyline playground ADA ramp
• Transportation south satellite at CAV

 In each case, we sought additional funding and managed budgets carefully to exceed expectations. We are committed to continuing this approach with the new bond, ensuring that every dollar is used effectively to benefit our students and community.

Information and updates will be shared on the district website, through our print and email publications, social media and during community meetings. To be added to our mailing lists, please email tellus@lkstevens.wednet.edu (current LSSD families and staff are already included).