A Message from Superintendent Dr. James Everett

Community Survey

In the time since our facilities bond failed at 53 percent on Nov. 5, we have received an outpouring of questions from staff, families and our community about next steps. We remain committed to providing safe, modern and effective learning spaces for our students. With that in mind, we want to take this opportunity to pause, and collect further information and feedback from our community. 

Please complete this brief survey by 5 p.m. Monday, Dec. 2. 

Bond Proposal Process

The process to bring the bond before voters was a two-year process that began in April 2022 with an independent assessment of our district facilities needs. The report was completed in April 2023, and a Facilities Task Force was convened in June 2023. The Facilities Task Force, which was composed of staff, families and community members, reviewed our facilities needs and determined which projects to recommend to our school board. The task force met from June to October 2023. In October 2023, the task force completed a community feedback process, which reaffirmed their recommendation. The task force presented their recommendation to the school board in December 2023.  After unanimous approval, the school board approved the bond resolution in June 2024. Voters considered the bond on the Nov. 5 ballot to build a new Meridian Middle School and complete crucial safety projects at Meridian High School. As of Nov. 8, the bond has failed with 53 percent. In Washington, school bonds require 60 percent supermajority to pass.

Bond Amount

In Washington, school renovation and construction is most often funded by bond measures.  The state does not provide funding for school construction, though they do provide some state match dollars. This means the financial burden for smaller, rural school districts, is much higher than school districts in densely populated areas. We recognize the inequity in school construction funding, and understand this bond is a big ask of our community. We also believe our students deserve the best educational opportunities and deserve to be in healthy, safe and schools conducive to learning. 

Next Steps

We want to take this opportunity to gather feedback from our students, staff, families and greater community. We will be reconvening the Facilities Task Force to review your feedback and discuss next steps. We are committed to honoring our community’s feedback as we consider putting recommended projects to another vote. 

I want to again express my gratitude to the volunteers who supported the bond effort, though it failed at 53 percent, it is humbling to see the majority of our community support the bond. Thank you in advance for completing this brief survey by 5 p.m. Monday, Dec. 2.