This is not déjà vu; Cheney Public Schools is trying again to defeat the February mandate in November votes

Seven months ago, Spokane County voters rejected school bonds that would have funded major projects such as building new schools, repaving parking lots and renovating buildings.

None of the five school districts seeking to pass bonds have managed to garner the 60 percent support needed, leaving them to ponder next steps to address dilapidated facilities, outdated infrastructure and, in the case of Cheney Public Schools, overcrowding.

Spokane Public Schools and the Riverside School District have decided not to ask voters to reconsider their decision this fall. West Valley is hoping a capital tax that requires a simple majority to pass will generate tax dollars to fund some of its projects. Deer Park is seeking a smaller bond with fewer projects and a lower price tag.

Cheney’s approach could give voters a wave of déjà vu as they look over their loaded ballots. Her November bond request mirrors the failed February proposal that called for $72 million to complete the same construction projects. The discernible difference is a lowering of the estimated tax rate due to fluctuations in property values ​​and a behind-the-scenes change in strategy this time around.

The district administration has sent out surveys and worked to highlight the impact that the bond’s passage and subsequent construction projects would have on the Cheney and Airway Heights communities, Cheney Superintendent Ben Ferney said.

“The process, the community efforts, the roadshows and the meetings have all gone really well. But we could refine and focus more on the impact, the why and what’s in it for us,” Ferney said. “It’s been really good because it’s about doing it right, not being right.”

The district hopes the change in strategy will bring it 5.5 percent more than its February measure, which failed even though 54.5 percent of voters voted yes. Bonds require 60 percent approval to pass; levies require a simple majority.

By surveying residents after their deaths, the district found that the economy and a desire for more details about bond projects were fueling the lack of voter support.

“I get that. Taxes impact people, and it’s not an easy time for a lot of families right now, and we respect that,” Ferney said. “That’s why we have the opportunity to say, ‘Hey, here’s what you’re going to get out of this,’ and hopefully do a good job of investing in our kids, in the future, and that’s where we just need a little boost.”

“This is what you will get”

With his $72 million bond, Cheney hopes to complete a long list of projects around the sprawling district that stretches 380 square miles from the southwest corner of the county, including the cities of Cheney and Airway Heights.

The district’s plans include a new elementary school in Airway Heights to prepare for an expected population boom in the city, as well as purchasing land parcels for a future high school, elementary school and transportation site so the district has room to grow with enrollment expected to increase.

The growing population will not only put a strain on schools, but also increase competition among developers eager to buy land. The school feels there is an urgent need to buy the land now before competition becomes too fierce.

“As we continue to grow, we look to the future and purchase lots of this size for these areas,” Ferney said. “As communities grow, there are more developments, and the available lots that we can purchase become more difficult to acquire.”

Cheney High School is also on the list of projects, which would benefit from stadium, bleacher and ADA accessibility renovations if the bond passes.

Salnave and Windsor elementary schools will get bus route and kitchen upgrades, and the district will connect sections of buildings at several other schools. Cheney also plans to replace several outdated heating and air conditioning systems, such as boilers, so old replacement parts will have to be custom-made.

The projects will cost $72 million, at an estimated rate of 45 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value over the 21-year life of the bond. If passed, that would be on top of the tax rate of $1.97 per $1,000, based on the levies passed in February.

The lion’s share of the bond spending would go toward building Airway Heights Elementary School, anticipating a population boom as more homes are built and people work at Amazon’s factory or Fairchild Air Force Base.

“The bulk of the bond is for the overpopulation we’re facing. Airway Heights is one of the fastest growing suburbs in the country,” Ferney said.

Sunset Elementary, Airway Heights’ only elementary school, is already at 121 percent of its designed capacity, with three prefabricated buildings serving as six classrooms. Some students living near Sunset are bused to other schools, such as Windsor or Snowden, each about seven miles from Sunset.

“We would love for them to be able to go to Sunset; there’s just no room for that,” Ferney said.

With the First Avenue and Craig Road acreage already purchased in suburban Airway Heights and a billboard erected for the future school, the district is looking to build a “Ford or a Chevy. We don’t need a Porsche,” Ferney said. They’re hoping for space to accommodate 500 students with a gymnasium large enough to serve the community as well as the school.

“One of the things we learned at Airway Heights is that they don’t really have a venue that’s suitable for live entertainment or music for local people,” Ferney said. “So we want to build a larger gymnasium at the school that can then be connected to the cafeteria, so people can use it and rent it out under a facility use agreement.”

The 60 percent voter approval rating isn’t the only hurdle the school district must overcome to pass a bond. Bond measures must also meet a voter turnout threshold to pass; ballots cast in a bond election must represent at least 40 percent of the voters in the last general election.

With a number of high-profile elections on the November ballot, including presidential, gubernatorial and a series of initiatives, Ferney expects a strong voter turnout.

“You never really know until election day, but we think this will help us,” Ferney said.

If the district waited until late November to issue a bond, Ferney said he would run the risk of not getting enough turnout to get the 40 percent of voters he hopes will turn out in the November election. Typically, special elections called in February, April or August have lower turnout than those in November.

Ferney hopes a strong voter turnout combined with an impact-focused communications strategy and more details about what the district is looking to accomplish with its tax revenue will be the boost they need to avoid a repeat of February’s failure.

“We want people to be able to participate in elections, and we think this will help us,” Ferney said. “But you never really know until election day.”