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Cheney Public Schools official says bond outreach flipped Airway Heights precincts
Summary
Dr. Fernie told the Airway Heights council that targeted outreach and local partnerships moved precincts from opposition to support, though the district bond reached roughly 54.2%—below the 60% threshold—while levies passed; the district plans design work and a new elementary opening fall 2027.
Dr. Fernie of Cheney Public Schools told the Airway Heights City Council that local outreach helped shift many precincts in Airway Heights toward support for the district’s recent bond, though the bond fell short of the 60% supermajority required for passage. "Look at all the red flipping to green in for the bond," Dr. Fernie said, adding, "I never thought I'd be so excited to see precinct data."
The district ran three measures in February 2024: an educational programs and operations levy, a capital levy and the bond. Dr. Fernie said the levies passed and the bond reached "about 54.2%," short of the 60% threshold for bonds. She credited neighborhood outreach and local partners—including The Heights Church, Airway Heights Parks & Rec, the police and fire departments and council leaders—for improving results in precincts within the city. "Airway Heights answered," she said.
Why it matters: The bond would fund a new elementary school and upgrades across district campuses; Dr. Fernie said the planned elementary will open in fall 2027 with a roughly 500‑student capacity, and that the district is planning bus‑loop, kitchen and stadium upgrades as well as land acquisition for a second, larger school site (the district says it needs roughly 50–60 acres for a secondary school). The district also said Sunset Elementary currently enrolls more than 600 students and emphasized that Cheney Public Schools covers about 380 square miles with buses driving roughly 5,000 miles per day.
Dr. Fernie described ongoing public-engagement structures for the bond program: a Bond Advisory Team (monthly, open to students, staff, parents and community members), a Design Advisory Team that visits schools and reviews designs, and educational specifications that set classroom and facility sizes. She said the bond-design work is proceeding, with multiple advisory meetings this spring and a second round of ed‑spec drafts forthcoming. "Those are all posted on our website as well," she said, and invited council and resident input.
Financing update: The district established a $72,000,000 bond; the district reported selling $36,000,000 of that issuance on the day of the sale. Dr. Fernie said market timing produced long‑term savings and estimated—while cautioning "don't quote me on it"—"almost $300,000" in savings over 20 years from that sale-day pricing.
Next steps: Design advisory meetings and construction-management briefings will continue monthly, and staff offered to provide detailed enrollment splits by school to council members on request. The district reiterated its outreach channels and asked the council to direct residents to the district website for bond materials and meeting notices.
