Issaquah council approves resolution supporting $642 million school bond after public hearing, 4-1

The Issaquah City Council on Aug. 5 voted 4-to-1 to approve a resolution supporting the Issaquah School DistrictProposition 1, a proposed $642,345,000 general obligation bond scheduled for the Nov. 5, 2024 ballot. The council held a public hearing before deliberation and then moved to approve the resolution.

School board president Harlan Gallinger presented the district's bond package and described a committee-driven process of eight meetings and more than 60 volunteers that produced a list of priorities he said are centered on safety, security, sustaining the district's 26 buildings, and adding high school capacity. "In this package, it's $642,345,000," Gallinger said during the presentation, and he described the proposed high school as roughly a quarter of the total dollar amount while stressing that it affects all students districtwide.

Why it matters: The bond would fund building and modernization projects the district says are needed to relieve overcrowding, replace portable classrooms, address state-mandated building upgrades and invest in…