The Mercer Island School District Board of Directors voted to approve Bond Resolution 736 after public comment and detailed board discussion about project scope, cost estimates and community outreach.

Board members voted to approve the resolution during the meeting; students in attendance and board members voiced “Aye,” and the board chair closed the vote (transcript: “All in favor of approving resolution number 736… Students? Aye. Board members? Aye.”). The approval sends the bond package to King County for placement on an upcoming ballot and launches the next steps in public outreach, including appointments to the voters’ pamphlet pro/con committees.

The bond is intended to fund prioritized work at the district’s middle school and high school. The district presented one‑page project summaries and an escalated cost breakdown during the meeting. Director Dan Gloatz questioned how elementary‑school cost estimates compared with the middle‑school figures, saying he was “a little bit perplexed” after reviewing the handout that showed a roughly $65 million figure for elementary school work alongside larger middle‑school totals. District staff and the district’s project consultant responded that figures on the one‑pager were escalated to 2025 dollars and that the middle‑school package includes classrooms plus maker space, drama and administrative relocations; elementaries in the current plan were sized and scoped differently (staff response: “the 72,000,000 is in 2024, so you would escalate that by 5% to get to a 2025 number… the middle school not only contains classrooms, but it also includes an art room… a big maker space… Drama.”).

Public comment at the meeting included speakers who urged both passage and defeat of the bond. Samantha Rubenfield, identified as a parent, told the board: “This bond will provide the resources needed to modernize our aging facilities… By approving this bond, we're making a statement that we believe in our future, both the future of our children and the future of our island.” Tom Hacker, speaking later in public comment, said he opposed the proposal in its current form and urged the board to consider other priorities and concerns from the community: “I’m here mostly to talk about the bond, and it’s not gonna pass… It could be board behaviors, could be people can't afford it anymore.”

Board members and student representatives emphasized steps the district took to arrive at the current proposal. Several directors thanked volunteers, architectural partners and members of the community engagement teams that shaped the plan; the board repeatedly noted that the package targets the middle school and high school this cycle and that elementary work was deferred to study and later decisions. One board member framed the plan as responsible stewardship intended to minimize disruption to current students while addressing safety, equity and educational needs.

District staff also outlined next procedural steps. The district will submit the bond paperwork to King County and recruit pro/con committee members to write the statements that appear in the county voters’ pamphlet. Staff said applicants for the pro/con committees must be Mercer Island residents and that the district expects to advertise and recruit community members; King County requires the district to submit appointments by February 21 (staff note: “we need to start the process… we can accept 3 members for a… committee… they must be Mercer Island residents.”).

Votes at a glance
- Resolution 736 (general obligation bond package for middle‑ and high‑school projects): approved (board voiced “Aye”; chair closed the motion). Transcript evidence: approval and roll call of ayes. Outcome: approved; next step — county submittal and voters’ pamphlet process.
- Nonresident enrollment agreement with the City (interlocal agreement renewal): approved. Transcript evidence: board motion and roll call (“All in favor… Students? Aye. Board members? Aye.”).
- Enrollment policy update (proposed update to policy 3141, enrollment of nonresident students): approved. Transcript evidence: motion and roll call during same meeting.
- Other board actions on the consent agenda, routine policy updates (including updates to board policy 18003 on appropriate treatment and discipline data collection), and superintendent monitoring reports: approved by the board during the meeting (motions and roll calls recorded in the transcript).

What’s next
District staff will file the bond resolution package with King County and begin recruiting pro/con committee members to draft the voters’‑pamphlet statements; staff noted the February 21 deadline for submitting committee appointments. The board and staff also signaled continued community outreach, additional cost and scope refinement based on feedback, and further study if the community prefers elementary projects at a later date.

Reporting notes: This article relies on the public meeting transcript for direct quotations and for the sequence of discussion and votes. It reports actions the board took during the meeting and summarizes the district’s stated next steps.