District staff reaffirm top CFAC priorities — North Bend, Fall City elementaries and new Snoqualmie Middle — and outline $425M estimate, tax impact and timeline

Snoqualmie Valley School District staff and consultants reviewed the capital facilities advisory committee (CFAC) recommendations and provided updated cost, schedule and maintenance information to the school board on Jan. 23.

What the board heard - CFAC prioritization: staff reiterated the committee’s earlier recommendation that the district’s first phase focus on three projects: replace North Bend Elementary (site in a floodway requires an elevated rebuild), replace Fall City Elementary (septic and site constraints) and build a new Snoqualmie Middle School on Snoqualmie Ridge to serve Timber Ridge and Cascade View feeders. - Cost estimates: preliminary, planning‑level estimates presented to the board put an elementary rebuild in the planning window at about $105 million and a middle school at about $200 million; a package of two elementaries plus a middle school was presented at roughly $425 million (planning estimate, subject to design-level refinement and escalation). These figures represent midpoint bid timing assumptions and include escalation assumptions the district described to the board. - Tax impact and funding options: the district’s financial advisor modeled a $425 million bond as increasing the district tax rate by about $0.92 per $1,000 of assessed value (projected timing in the presentation was 2027 bid/2028 construction assumptions). Staff outlined differences between a capital bond (requires approximately 60% approval under current law) and a construction levy (50% approval but would change cash flow and likely delay construction because levy collections must accumulate to pay contractors). The district noted neighboring districts have used multi‑year construction levies as an alternative approach and cautioned about interest and duration tradeoffs. - Maintenance and near‑term risks: facilities staff described specific maintenance liabilities that are growing if projects are deferred: North Bend has exposed external wet‑sprinkler piping that freezes and has caused sprinkler breaks; Fall City operates an aging septic field that has been infiltrated by tree roots and requires periodic repairs; interior plumbing at several schools will eventually need full re‑piping at a district cost estimated in the hundreds of thousands of dollars for individual repairs. Brandon (facilities staff) estimated a full re‑pipe of certain sections at roughly $300,000–$350,000 and described recurring winter freeze/sprinkler failures at North Bend. - Enrollment and program impacts: staff modeled several feeder scenarios and noted a rebuilt Snoqualmie Middle School sized to absorb Timber Ridge and Cascade View would be roughly in the 700–750 student range (the committee’s prior estimate). If the board rebounded or reconfigured boundaries differently, Chief Kanim and Twin Falls middle schools’ enrollment and elective offerings would shift; staff presented a scenario for a middle school of about 400 students and outlined how smaller enrollment would reduce elective staffing and course-choice frequency (school leaders said electives could be retained but with narrower options and scheduling tradeoffs). - Next steps recommended: the district recommended hiring a specialized survey firm to test community support and refine a bond package; staff gave a cost estimate of about $27,000–$30,000 for a statistically based community survey and an estimated 10‑ to 12‑week run time for scope, data collection and analysis. Staff also recommended updating the CFAC prioritization rubric and performing a facilities audit to refine the ranking and prepare a community package.

Board members asked whether the committee’s priorities had changed (they had not materially) and discussed the political and communications work required to pursue a voter measure. Directors requested that the survey firm be invited to a future board meeting to explain methodology and sample design. Staff emphasized these are planning-level estimates and that formal project design would refine scope and costs.

No bond measure was placed on any ballot at this meeting; the board provided direction to pursue a survey and additional design information as a next step.