Construction Bond - Frequently Asked Questions

About Taxes and Tax Rates
About the November Bond Proposal
About Facilities and Planning
About Growth

About Taxes and Tax Rates

Q. If the assessed valuation of my house increases, does the school district get more money?
A. No. Rising property values do not increase property taxes for schools. Once voters approve a dollar amount, it becomes the maximum that can be collected. Taxes collected by the school district do not increase after they are set in place, regardless of changes in assessed property value. 

Q. If more homes are built, do schools get more money?
A.  No. Voters approve a fixed dollar amount for school bonds and levies. This amount is shared by all taxpayers in the district. When more homes are built, there are more taxpayers to share the fixed amount. This means the tax rate actually decreases because the tax base in the district is larger. 

Q. What will the bond do to my taxes?
A. The cost to taxpayers if voters approve the construction bond on November 7 would be an estimated annual increase of 80 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation. In 2006, the Central Valley School District total tax rate is $5.32. If the bond is approved, this rate would rise to approximately $6.12 in 2007. On a home assessed at $150,000, this would mean an additional $10 per month or $120 per year.

Q. How does Central Valley's tax rate compare to other school districts?
A. Currently, Central Valley's tax rate is about mid-range as compared with other school districts in Spokane County. Our 2006 rate is $5.32 per $1,000 which includes the current levy ($3.44) and existing bonds ($1.88).

Q. Is there a special tax exemption for senior citizens or those who are disabled?
A. Yes. In Spokane County, senior citizens (age 62+) and disabled individuals with a total annual income of under $35,000 may be eligible for a residential property tax exemption. More information is available through the Spokane County Assessor's Office at 477-5754 or by clicking here.

About the November Bond Proposal

Q. Why is the cost of the bond higher than it was in March 2006?
A. When estimating construction costs, Central Valley relies on experienced local architects and contractors. These experts tell us that construction costs haven risen sharply, far beyond the traditional three percent inflation factor local school districts experienced in the past. The $75.7 million bond reflects the impact of a hot construction market and includes an inflation rate of roughly 10 percent per year to expected bid dates for each project. With this approach, Central Valley School District expects to avoid construction budget deficits which are currently plaguing school districts in the Spokane area and across the state.    

Q. Will the November bond pay for the same projects as it would have paid for in March 2006?
A.  Essentially, the November bond will pay for the same projects as the March 2006 ballot measure, with a slightly different financing plan. The current bond measure calls for most large projects to be directly funded through bond proceeds, with the remaining projects to be paid for with state reimbursement funds. Completion of all projects is contingent on voter approval on November 7.

Q. Why doesn't the district just build a new elementary school in the eastern part of the district to address the overcrowding in that area?
A. The November 2006 bond measure includes a new elementary school in the Greenacres attendance area to help serve the eastern portion of the district. However, we are also experiencing severe crowding in Greenacres Middle School which serves the entire eastern portion of the district. As enrollment continues to rise and the District plans for growth, we need two new schools to house students -- an elementary and a middle school. In the more established areas of our district, schools are aging and in need of modernization. The bond measure will update these aging facilities, provide technology and improve safety to support and enhance student learning.

Q. Why not just bus kids from the east side to the west side of the district?
A. Central Valley routinely buses students between schools when the child's neighborhood school is full. We are experiencing new student growth throughout the district. Homes in established neighborhoods in the central and western part of our district are being purchased by young families with new students entering our schools. Our growing enrollment means there are few vacant classrooms on the west side to hold students, if we were to bus from the east side. Among the district's 12 elementary schools, there are only seven classrooms which remain available to house more students. This is enough space for about 175 more elementary students across the district. Among the district's five middle schools, there are only nine classrooms which remain available to house students. New student enrollment in Central Valley schools has been growing at about three percent, or roughly 300 new students, each year.

Q. What will the district do if the bond does not pass?
A. During the 2006-07 school year, Central Valley School District has maximized all learning and teaching space in the district. We have 16 available elementary and middle school classrooms remaining. We expect enrollment growth to continue. If the bond does not pass, the School Board will consider options -- additional portable classrooms, double shifting in our schools, year-round schools -- and will likely seek out other options, as well.

Q. What's the difference between a Bond and Levy?
A. A school bond pays for the construction of new or remodeled school buildings. A levy pays for day-to-day operations of schools including teachers, textbooks, supplies and extra-curriculuar programs not fully funded by Washington State. Both funding measures must be specifically approved by local voters.

About Facilities and Planning

Q. Why doesn't the state help us build new schools?
A. Central Valley is not currently eligible for state financial help to build new elementary and middle schools in response to growing enrollment. When evaluating capacity, the state uses a specific 'square foot per student' ratio. Central Valley's educational programs require a higher 'square foot per student' ratio that the state's ratio. Therefore, in the eyes of the state, Central Valley still has excess capacity across the district for students in grades K-8.

Q. Why didn't the district plan ahead for overcrowding?
A. Central Valley School District, with help from its patrons, has a long history of planning to meet facilities needs. The District's current Capital Facilities Plan identifies both immediate and future facilities needs. The plan also identifies several parcels of land purchased many years ago as future school sites, including the site of the proposed middle school. This plan includes enrollment projections which tell us when overcrowding is coming. Although the District continues to plan for growth, funding for school construction must come from our local community. Voters rejected bond proposals in February 2003 and March 2006. Both bonds included funds for construction of new schools to relieve crowding. Although both bonds were approved by a majority of voters, school finance issues in Washington State require 60 percent approval to pass.

Q. Why didn't the district build bigger high schools?
A. Central Valley High School and University High School were built to house up to 1,800 students. This was a purposeful decision, made by the School Board based on the community's desire to avoid extremely large high schools. Both high schools opened in Fall 2002 with about 1,700 students and have grown to about 1,800 over the past four years. Two portable classrooms were installed at University High in September 2005 to address immediate student housing needs.

Q. Why are the new high schools so extravagant?
A. Central Valley High School and University High School opened in 2002. The schools are built to last for at least 50 years of student and community use. The theatres are used by many performing arts groups, in addition to providing an important educational foundation for students. The stained glass windows in parts of each school were funded entirely by the State Arts Commission. The Arts Commission, not Central Valley School District, owns these windows. Should the stained glass ever be removed, it will be returned to the Arts Commission. Over the coming years, thousands of students, school staff and community members will use the buildings, which are an investment in our community.

Q. Has the District maximized State financial assistance for school facilities?
A. Yes. Washington State is an important source of funding for many of Central Valley’s construction projects. Throughout the facilities planning process, the District works closely with the State to determine which proposed projects are eligible for state financial help and what the amount of assistance is likely to be. Preliminary work with the State allows the District to develop funding plans for needed facilities improvements. For the work envisioned in the November 7 bond proposal, the state is able to help fund the modernization of two elementary schools. This funding will then be applied to the modernization of a third elementary school, which in turn will receive additional state financial assistance. However, Central Valley is not currently eligible for state financial help to build new schools in response to growing enrollment.

Q. Why not put students in the old University High School building?
A. When Central Valley School District built the new high schools (which opened in Fall 2002), the district received funds from the state to help build the new University High school. In exchange, the District had to agree not to use the old University High School to house regular K-12 students. However, we have been allowed to temporarily house students in the old University High who have been displaced by the remodeling of their own school. We have also been able to use the building to house our early education, pre-school and adult education programs, freeing up space in our other schools for regular K-12 classrooms. Currently, Central Valley School District is using two complete wings and a portion of a third wing of the old University High School. We also have nearly half of our transportation department and bus fleet housed in this building as a cost-saving measure.

Q. Why not use other district buildings to house students?
A. During the summer of 2006, Central Valley School District relocated more than 900 students among five buildings across the district to maximize the use of existing facilities to house students. All of the district's early childhood and adult education programs housed in Keystone Center were moved to University Center (the old University High) to make room for regular K-12 students. Summit School and the Spokane Valley Learning Academy (SVLA) are not located together in the former Keystone Elementary building. The former Barker Center is now the Central Valley Kindergarten Center, housing all kindergarten students from Greenacres Elementary and Liberty Lake Elementary. And, the former Summit School building now houses Barker High School and a variety of alternative learning programs for special education students age 14-21. In addition, Barker High School and Learning Center on Broadway will soon be adding an alternative learning program for middle school students. These moves are a short-term solution to the District's continued growth challenges.

About Growth

Q. What is the enrollment growth rate in Central Valley School District? 
A.  Student enrollment in Central Valley schools is growing at a rate of about three percent per year, three times as fast as the growth rate experienced several years ago. During the 2005/06 school year, Central Valley schools enrolled about 360 additional students. The district expects another 300+ new students to enroll in the 2006/07 school year. Although these students are enrolling at all grade levels, the highest numbers are enrolling at the elementary level. Without community support for a construction bond, Central Valley School District lacks the financial resources to build new schools. And, the district is quickly running out of space to house the growing number of students.  

Q. What about impact fees?
A. Central Valley School District cannot assess or collect impact fees. Instead, the District must ask the City of Liberty Lake, City of Spokane Valley and Spokane County to assess impact fees on our behalf. The District has made this request and provided the appropriate documentation to each jurisdiction. To date, the City of Liberty Lake has adopted a resolution in support of impact fees for schools and is working on an implementing ordinance. The City of Spokane Valley is considering school impact fees as part of a broader discussion, scheduled to begin later this year. Spokane County has not expressed interest in assessing school impact fees.

Q. Liberty Lake is a separate city. Why can't it build its own schools?
A. School district boundaries in Washington State are not necessarily aligned with city boundaries. In fact, until about five years ago, the 80-square-mile Central Valley School District served only residents in unincorporated Spokane County. Although District boundaries have not changed, we now serve residents in the City of Spokane Valley and City of Liberty Lake as well as county residents. Over the years, citizens living in all areas of the District, including Liberty Lake, have supported bond measures to build schools. Currently, all but five of Central Valley's 25 schools and learning centers are located west of Sullivan Road.