Puyallup School District
2015 Bond Funding Timeline
Overview
As conscientious stewards of taxpayer dollars, our primary goal is to maximize savings and investments wherever possible. We believe in saving and investing wisely. Here, we'll show you how we've used the funds from our 2015 Bond investments over time.
With the 2015 Bond investments, PSD has finished more than 546 projects, included unforeseen state mandated requirements without spending more money than we planned.
History
Comprised of 28 members including parents, students, community representatives, and staff, the 2015 Joint Citizens Facilities & Bond Advisory Committee crafted their recommendations for the 2015 Bond Program. Following 22 collaborative meetings, the committee presented their findings to the school board on March 15, 2015. These recommendations served as a crucial foundation for the board in shaping the final 2015 Bond Program Resolution, paving the way for an upcoming election. Notably, the committee provided two comprehensive funding options for consideration.
- Most conservative tax rate $/1000 = 0.03
- 38 portables still being utilized in four years
- Total Projected Bond Cost $295,308,393.00
In November 2015 voters passed a bond for the major construction or renovation of five elementary schools and districtwide facility life cycle projects with a budget of $292.5 million. The bond Included replacement of Firgrove Elementary, Northwood Elementary and Sunrise Elementary Schools along with the modernization and addition to Pope Elementary and New Elementary #25 now named Dessie Evans Elementary. Funds from this bond were reallocated from Pope Elementary and used to expand Hunt Elementary School.
State Requirements and Legislation Requirements Impact Funding
The follow unforeseen conditions and program changes were not included in the 2015 bond with an impact of cost of $16M. By being good stewards and making good design decisions we were able to absorb these cost withing each of the five bond projects. With lots are communication and coordination with local contractors we had fantastic bidder turn out which led to our projects coming in under budget saving the district millions.
Mandated changes included:
- Early Learning Program adoption and need for further classroom space District Wide
- Class size Reduction Program created the need for further classroom space.
- Pre-School Program Adoption created the need for further classroom space.
- McCleary Decision which changed state funding formula created impact.
- New Energy Code Adoption Changes in 2017 required more complex building controls.
- New Building Code adoption changes increased the cost of construction, Stormwater, parking.
- AM\PM traffic impact fees grew
Projects rolled into the 2015 Bond projects included the following:
- Relocated 39 portables to accommodate program changes
- Solar panels & Solar ready building Energy Code Requirements
- Increased Lighting and Controlled Receptacles for Energy Conservation
- Battery Backup Inverters for Emergency Lighting
- Stormwater System Enhancements
- Offsite Right away improvements
- Infrastructure upgrades of utilities on\off site
The following provides information on how money was invested to restore, replace, and improve PSD schools
| School | Budget | Actual Cost | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwood Elementary | $42M | $37.6M | $4.4M |
| Sunrise Elementary | $43M | $42.3 | $700K |
| Dessie Evans Elementary | $55M | $50.5M | $4.5M |
| Firgrove Elementary | $47M | $45M | $2M |
| Pop Elementary | $44M | $39.4M | $4.6M |
| Hunt Elementary | $44M | $39.4M | $400K |
| Total Costs | $245.1M | $225.5M | $28.6M |
Five projects funded by the state match funds
Through careful and responsible management and improved outreach and communication with the local workforce and district staff, these projects came in $28.6 million under budget. As a result of these projects, the district was eligible for state match School Construction Assistance Program (SCAP) funds of $97.2 million. These funds in addition to the bond project savings provided the district with $125.8 million to distribute between other growing priorities. The School Board of Directors approved classroom additions to address growth at Ballou, Stahl, and Ferrucci Junior High Schools. This also funded the construction of the Kessler Center in 2021-2022 to support our digital learning and highly capable student programs, as well as our special services department. This work was originally estimated at $93.6 million and came in under budget at $89.8M. Even with this added capacity at the elementary level, the district is still dependent upon portable classrooms, 131 Elementary, 21 Junior High and 52 at High Schools for a total of 203.
2015 Bond Saving ($28.6M) + State Match ($97.2M) = $125.8M for improvements
| Project | Budget | Actual Cost | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ballou Junior High Addition | $23M | $21.6M | $1.4M |
| Stahl Junior High Addition | $17M | $16.8M | $150K |
| Kessler Center (Puyallup Digital Learning) | $27M | $25.4M | $1.6M |
| Ferrucci Junior High Addition | $26.6M | $26M | $600K |
| Total Costs | $93.6M | $89.8M | $3.8M |
Capital Investment Growth Projects – Total $ 5.78M
| Action | Property | Cost | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purchased | Tacoma Water Parcel 44 Acres | ($2.1M) | |
| Purchased | Immanuel Lutheran | ($800K) | 2022 |
| Purchased | Garden Lot Sparks | ($235K) | 2022 |
| Purchased | Blevin Property | ($350K) | 2023 |
| Purchased | Aliza Property Parcel B 4.5 Acres | ($2.3M) | 2019 |
| Sold | Firwood Property | $1.2M | 2019 |
| Sold | Riverside Elementary | $594K | 2018 |
| Sold | 214 West Main to C.O.P | $1.48M | 2023 |
| Selling | Lidford Property | $99K | 2024 |
Small Capital Projects – Total $ 39.79M
- Completed 536 projects since September 2015 – Present
- Shaw Road Elementary 12CR Add opened in 2017, Budget 10M came in at 9.1M (900K Saved)
Next Steps
The district will need to develop solutions to address the increased population expected in coming years. Additionally, this bond could not address the need for added capacity at the high school level. In November 2019 the district proposed a capital bond program to address the facilities needs at the high school level. While the majority of voters supported the proposal, the district failed to garner the needed 60 percent supermajority voter approval required to approve bond funding. Combined, these factors present a significant challenge to the district: how to address the need for classroom capacity and modernization of aging facilities needed to provide suitable learning environments for our students.
Questions? Contact Us
323 12th Street NW
(Portable 02)
Puyallup, WA 98371
Phone: (253) 841-8641
Fax: (253) 841-8640
What are “state match dollars”?
Many school districts can qualify for additional financial assistance from the state of Washington to help build or modernize facilities. The state determines the amount of square footage each student needs (the amounts are different for elementary, middle, and high schools) and assigns a dollar amount per square foot based on current average construction cost estimates.
Both new construction and remodeling projects can be eligible for state assistance. While these matching funds are helpful for bond projects, only a limited percentage of actual costs are typically covered using this formula, leaving the rest of the cost to the school district and the local community (via a bond or capital levy).