Issaquah board approves resolution to pursue $138.7M capital levy as fallback while campaigning for Feb. 11 bond

The Issaquah School District Board of Directors on Jan. 23 approved a resolution authorizing a six‑year capital levy option — $138,700,000 — as a fallback plan while the district campaigns for a February 11, 2025 bond measure that the board previously placed on the ballot.

Board members, district staff and student representatives spent the meeting presenting and debating details of the February bond package and describing how a levy would work if the bond does not receive the 60% voter approval needed for a bond. The board adopted the levy resolution by voice vote; the motion passed (the board president declared “the ayes have it”).

The bond package on the Feb. 11 ballot was described by district staff as a focused measure intended to address districtwide safety and security upgrades, relieve high school overcrowding and allow immediate work on a shovel‑ready new high school project. Presenters said the package had been reduced from earlier proposals and aimed to maintain a projected tax rate of $3.09 per $1,000 assessed value for 2025.

Chief of Finance and Operations Martin Turney told the board the bond package totals roughly $231.6 million as presented at the meeting and that the new high school project’s total cost is currently projected at $292.7 million. Turney said the district has spent approximately $20 million on the new high school so far and has $90 million in unspent bond funds plus $44 million in 2022 capital construction funds (totaling about $134 million) available to apply to the project, leaving roughly $138.7 million reflected in the package to complete…