Issaquah City Council unanimously backs reduced $231.6 million school bond ahead of Feb. 11 special election

The Issaquah City Council on Jan. 21 unanimously approved Resolution 2025-02 endorsing the Issaquah School District’s Proposition 1, a $231,600,000 general obligation bond that will appear on the Feb. 11, 2025 special election ballot.

The endorsement followed a public hearing during which parents, school board members and business leaders urged passage to relieve overcrowding and improve school safety, while several residents and a community group opposed the measure, citing cost, interest and traffic impacts.

The council’s endorsement matters because the city represents voters who live inside school district boundaries and because the bond seeks to maintain the district’s projected combined tax rate at $3.09 per $1,000 of assessed value, a point repeatedly cited by proponents.

School board president Martie Moraldo presented the district’s case, saying the reduced bond "reflects changes based on community feedback" and describing the measure as focused on a new high school and safety upgrades. "We are going…