Bond Advisory Committee (BAC)

The Bond Advisory Committee (BAC) is commissioned to submit a recommendation to the superintendent and school board regarding a bond scope and attendant financing plan. This recommendation includes the timing of an election that would preserve the option of running a February 11th, 2025, Bond Issue Election. The committee will submit the final report and recommendation on November 18th, 2024.

This committee may also provide support to the superintendent to present a progress report to the board of directors as desired by the superintendent. The committee may participate in facilitation of public bond planning forums and support the superintendent in a board work session if called upon.

Share your thoughts!

Bond Advisory Committee At-a-Glance

Core Membership:

• Director of Capital Projects (Chair)
• Director of Facilities Planning 
• Nine community members (representing Regions 1, 2, & 3)
• Three construction industry partners 
• Three High School Students (representing Regions 1, 2 & 3) 10-12th grade 
• Three School Principals (Elem, JH, and HS)
• Two Puyallup PTA Council representatives
• Two Puyallup Education Association representatives
• Ex-officio Members
• Assist. Superintendent of Operations and School Support
• Executive Director of Business and Support Services
• Executive Director of Equity and Elementary Education
• Executive Director of Equity and Secondary Education
• Executive Director of Equity and Special Education
• Executive Director of Communications
• Director of Instructional Leadership Athletics, Health, Fitness 
• Fine Arts Teacher
• Asst. Director of Transportation
   

Meetings:

Five tentative meetings are scheduled, with potential for additional dates. A full-day meeting is under consideration. For more details, refer to the BAC Charter.

Scope of Work:

The committee is advisory to the board of directors through the superintendent and will consider things such as, but not limited to, the following:

Project Scope: 

• High Schools – Rogers, Emerald Ridge, Puyallup, and Walker 
  • Growth
  • Remodel, Replacement & Additions 
  • Program
• Junior High Schools – Glacier View 
  • Growth
  • Addition
• Elementary Schools – New Elementary #24, Mt. View, Spinning and Waller Road
  • Growth
  • Remodel & Replacement
  • Program 
• State Match Funding – Create list of recommended projects that match funding could be contributed to. 
• Life Cycle Maintenance – Consideration for rolling in the 2024 Capital Levy
• Review of the 2021 Citizens Facility Advisory Committee Long Rang Plan
• Review of the Capital Facilities Plan 
• Review of the School Capacity Utilization Taskforce Interim Recommendations 
• Sequencing of projects (implementation plan)
• Community Engagement and Opinion (public forum surveys)
• Amount of overall bond amount
• Estimated impact on tax rates “Goal to keep it a zero increase” 
• Estimated revenues from state match and timing
• The planning horizon…. the context within which the projects and election would occur (what other events are happening)
• Ongoing communication plan coordination with Communications Department

Bond programs are crafted on the foundation of this 12-year plan by the Bond Advisory Committee (BAC). This committee is tasked by the board to put together the next bond package which represents the most pressing needs articulated in priority in the CFAC Plan. This committee takes into account public input, the economy, statutory requirements, financing methods, and the financial capacity of the district and its citizens to recommend a package to the board.

The Bond Advisory Committee makes recommendations to the Puyallup School Board to assist in decision-making. Over several months of conversation, public study sessions, research, and consideration, the elected directors serving on the Puyallup School Board determine what portion of the 12-year plan will be funded as a result of the proposition placed before voters in a bond election.

Members of the board of directors must consider a number of variables when preparing a proposition for a bond election and implementing the 12-year CFAC plan.

Two potential sources of financial relief are as follows:

• State Match – If a school district’s project meets eligibility requirements based on age and condition for modernization and a demonstrated need for more space, Washington State will provide matching funds for new construction. This funding, however, is not guaranteed from year to year. If approved it is issued once during the fiscal year which floods the market for construction with many projects at once, thus inflating costs. These funds are only accrued after the district has spent dollars first.
• Earned Interest – Bond sale proceeds (dollars) are kept invested until spent. This interest, over time, can supply the district with a safety net, or contingency fund for use when emergencies arise (such as the flooding which took place at Ferrucci Junior High School) or can be directed to projects still needing to be done on the 12-Year CFAC Plan.

During the planning process, it is possible that state match and earned interest could be subtracted from the total cost of a bond proposal. This would reduce the amount of money being collected from taxpayers. However, given the uncertainty of the economy and decisions made by the state Legislature, it is always a risk to plan in this way. With a commitment to making good on promises made to voters, the practice of the Puyallup School Board has been to use funding from state match and earned interest to ensure that projects listed on the proposition are completed, and to use additional resources for projects still remaining (not yet funded) on the 12-Year CFAC Plan.

Thank you, voters, for approving our 2015 bond measure to replace or renovate six aging neighborhood schools across our district. 

All voter-approved 2015 bond projects came in on time, under budget. PSD funds were managed so well that the state match was used to fund three additional junior high projects, Pope elementary and the Kessler Center, saving the district from having to run another bond for those expansion projects.

2015 Bond Projects