Issaquah board adopts $138.7 million capital-levy contingency as district presses Feb. 11 bond campaign

Issaquah School District board members voted Wednesday to adopt a six‑year capital levy of $138,700,000 as a contingency if the district’s February bond measure does not win voter approval.

The action followed a detailed district presentation on the Feb. 11, 2025, Proposition 1 general obligation bond — a $231,600,000 package the district says was reduced to focus on “safety and student learning needs,” plus an update on a long‑planned new high school project.

District Chief of Finance and Operations Martin Turney summarized the bond, saying, “this bond package was reduced to $231,600,000 to address first and foremost, safety and student learning needs,” and noting it is structured to keep the district’s projected tax rate at $3.09 per $1,000 assessed value in calendar year 2025. Mark Sherwood, the district’s executive communications director, walked through outreach and the district’s plan for a public project‑oversight committee and voter pamphlets ahead of the election.

Why it matters: Issaquah’s high‑school enrollment has grown well above original building capacity, and the district has been pursuing a new high school site for years. Turney told the board the new high‑school project has a total projected cost of $292,700,000; the district has spent about $20,000,000 to date and reports $90,000,000 of unspent funds plus $44,000,000 from 2022 capital construction funds available for the project. Turney also told the board the district estimated about…