CCARE
A Committee of Concerned Advocates for Responsible Education
B L O G
The Issaquah School District (ISD) is running a Special Election Bond on February 11, a likely levy in April, and another in 2025! This follows the defeat of a bond in November in which voters’ voices were resoundingly heard: NO to increased taxes with hidden interest, NO to misguided spending, NO to saying one thing and doing another, NO to misrepresenting your actions, and much more.
Only about 30% vote in Special Elections, and most of those voters will be directly involved with the district. Every single property owner and renter in the district, which includes Issaquah, Newcastle, Renton, Sammamish, and parts of King County will have to pay. The new high school is not needed November’s failed bond sent a clear message to ISD leadership: change course. The district’s recent “Thought Exchange” showed that people want smarter solutions – not just endless bonds and levies. They say they listened and will change course – but only IF this bond fails. Their new course is a contingency plan: “adjust school boundaries to balance enrollment” (why aren’t they now???), relocate ninth graders to “a middle school campus” currently not at capacity (these are the kids who supposedly need a new high school?!?), staggered start times for high school students (and get full use from existing facilities), and reconfigure grades (K-6, 7-9, and 10-12). This creative problem solving is the kind of outside-the-box thinking voters want from the leaders we elect and whose salaries we pay. Their wasteful spending is out of control Yes, costs for HS#4 have increased from the original estimate of $120 million to $164 million, and now to $293 million. But… if this bond passes, the actual hidden cost will be over $340 million with the interest. The district is not presenting all the costs: their nice-looking, over-simplified graphics – designed by an expensive Marketing and PR firm – are misleading. Don’t believe that your taxes won’t go up! The extravagant design of the high school includes a three-story atrium for a cafeteria, a 2000+ seat stadium that will only be used “a few nights a year,” a 780-stall parking garage with rooftop tennis courts, narrow hallways, and more impractical expensive architectural features, plus no money to operate it! The district has provided NO estimates for improving and remodeling other campuses, and even ignored recommendations to downsize the plan from Issaquah’s Planning and Development Commissions, and the City of Sammamish! Plus, 60% of HS#4 students will come from off the plateau. We can’t trust ISD, no matter what they say ISD’s own slide show of their ThoughtExchange and Listening Sessions lists the Top Ten concerns, and reiterates what parents and taxpayers have been saying for years: “I don't trust where the money is going,” then they blame past management. Fact: three of the five School Board members voted on the very measures that made us distrust them, the current Capital Facilities Director was appointed in 2019, and the current CFO served under the last one whose contract wasn’t renewed. The district’s ongoing capital project overruns, broken promises, and re-purposed funds are their doing. This “spin” doesn’t work on well-informed people. Their promises of oversight, transparency, and accountability are years too late, and the makeup of the group includes the very industry professionals that stand to profit from the projects. Talk about the fox guarding the hen house! The city is giving big breaks to big developers When roads and facilities need to be updated for new building projects, developers pay “Impact Fees.” But in September last year, the Issaquah City Council voted to on Ordinance No. 3073 which reduces those fees for single-family residential units from $15,510 to $4,728 and completely eliminates the fees for multifamily residential units from $3,514 to $0 for these rich developers! Where do you think that money will come from? A decrease for them equals an increase in property taxes for us. Kids deserve real sustainability for their futures District Administration keep throwing around “sustainability” and “energy efficiency,” yet they keep coming back year after year for more money, citing needed improvements for these. It’s time to get real! Stop throwing around sustainability terms and buckle down on practical, applied improvements such as passive solar (the new school’s north-facing windows are large, while the south-facing windows are small), recycling rainwater (according to the architects, the “roof is too big” in the current design), and absolutely do not use artificial turf with 6PPT particles which are known to kill off salmon populations (Laughing Jacob’s Creek is a spawning ground for the Kokanee). CCARE, A Committee of Concerned Advocates for Responsible Education, did a lot with a minuscule budget, a real David versus Goliath situation. With only around $23,000 – compared to the VIS monies of some $50,000 – this bond failed. BUT… we need your help to continue the fight. Contact city councils, the school board members, and VOTE NO on February 11 to make your voice heard! For more information, please visit our website To help the cause, please send a donation made out to CCARE or donate online: ccare98027.com or email [email protected] Paid for by: CCARE (A Committee of Concerned Advocates for Responsible Education) 3020 Issaquah Pine Lake Road SE #134 Sammamish, WA 98075 Top 5 contributors: Providence Point Umbrella Association, William Eades, Dave Osmer, Diane Exereide, James Berry
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AuthorCCARE is a nonprofit Political Action Committee registered with the State Public Disclosure Commission. Archives
January 2025
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