Scope of the Projects
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1. DID YOU KNOW THAT THE COMMUNITY WAS INVOLVED IN CREATING THE SCOPE OF THIS SCHOOL BOND?
This bond measure was developed with over two years of community input, working with a third-party architectural design firm, reducing the scope to be the essential needs, and five forums for public comment. A group of educators, students, staff, community members, and architects worked to identify needs, prioritize and make trade-offs, and settle on a plan that is fiscally responsible, complies with state requirements, and provides the continuation of the outstanding educational opportunities that are offered on Mercer Island. |
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2. DID YOU KNOW THAT THE BOND WILL BUILD THE REMAINING HALF OF ISLANDER MIDDLE SCHOOL?
The previous bond built the first half of IMS, completed in 2016. This bond builds 19 new classrooms, 8 labs across all disciplines, including STEM, Science, Art, and Robotics for hands-on activities. A Learning Commons with shared learning spaces for enhanced collaboration and creativity, shared learning resources, developing critical thinking skills, and to develop emerging programs. Let's finish IMS so that the school is under one roof, as originally envisioned and approved by voters in 2014. This provides a more secure environment for all of our students. |
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3. DID YOU KNOW THAT PORTABLES ARE NOT PART OF THE CONSTRUCTION PLAN?
Based on our construction window and current enrollment, students will not be in portables during the IMS and MIHS construction. PLUS, construction is designed so students at IMS don't have to experience another round of construction at MIHS. |
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4. DID YOU KNOW THAT AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDY IS INCLUDED IN THE BOND?
$1.45MM has been allocated in the bond to study what to do with the four elementary schools on the island. Given the ~10-year duration between bond requests, that provides time to understand our community's needs for elementary schools. |
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5. DID YOU KNOW THAT ALL 4 ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS HAVE BEEN IMPROVED WITH OUR EXISTING CAPTECH LEVY?
See the MISD CapTech Improvements here. 2024 elementary school projects at Island Park, West Mercer, and Lakeridge included carpet replacement, boiler replacement, and classroom door security hardware improvements. The Capital Projects & Technology Levy (CapTech) passed in 2022, and funds can be used for technology, smaller capital improvements, and salaries for some IT and Maintenance & Operations positions. This levy expires in 2028. This levy raises ~$8M/year. CapTech levies can run for 2-6 years. CapTech levies cannot be used for construction or major renovations due to the smaller annual size of a CapTech levy. Only Bonds build buildings, and the State of Washington does not provide funding for building schools. Elementary schools are not renovated with this Bond, although they have had and will continue to have improvements made under the smaller annual CapTech levy funding. |
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Get your questions answered
If you'd like to see a question added to this list, please email us at [email protected]
For more detailed information on the bond, please visit the Mercer Island School District website.
For more detailed information on the bond, please visit the Mercer Island School District website.