Voters in Kennewick, Wash., have not yet decided whether to pass the school district’s proposed $89.5 million bond, but that has not prevented school officials from already discussing how the money will be spent should the proposal pass during next month’s election.
Part of the discussion is a practical desire to be ready to implement plans should the money come through. But part of the discussion hinges on the fact that approval of the bond will require some potentially controversial and divisive decisions, according to the Tri-City Herald. The issue likely to draw the most ire will be the decision to redraw elementary and middle school boundaries and determine how to transition from four to five middle schools.
The district must contend with increased enrollment and aging buildings, which prompted the Kennewick School Board to place the bond measure on the February special election ballot, the Tri-City Herald reported. If approved, it will pay for two new elementary schools, replacement of another elementary school and a middle school, and the construction of a new middle school.
The potential changes will require the district to create new boundaries by the end of November, Superintendent Dave Bond told the school board. It’s up to the board to determine what the priorities should be in drawing the lines, Bond told the Tri-City Herald, whether preserving neighborhood schools is paramount or making sure that schools are economically and culturally diverse.
