As November deadline looms, Spokane Public Schools board remains undecided on when to send their once-failed bond to ballots

The Spokane School Board has a deadline.

If they want to add their failed bond to ballots in November, the board needs to write and approve a resolution by their July 10 school board meeting. There’s one school board meeting before then, on June 26.

Board President Nikki Otero Lockwood said the board may ask voters to consider a $75 million bond, lower than the $200 million bond request that failed in February.

These taxes would go towards replacing Adams Elementary and modernizing North Central High School.

“It would have a fairly wide benefit while still being a lot smaller than the original package we did not pass,” Lockwood said, adding that there would be construction on schools on the North and South sides.

Board members have expressed differing perspectives on when the ideal time is to send the bond to ballots. Elections can happen in February, April, August and November of each year.

Lockwood is undecided herself, considering the high voter turnout anticipated in November that she thinks will help the district’s cause, while the crowded ballot may pull support from the bond, she said.

“It seems mixed in terms of our board, so I’m not sure; I really don’t know,” Lockwood said.

Board Member Melissa Bedford said at a June 5 meeting that she supports sending the bond to November ballots, seeing a need from kids in Spokane Public Schools to update facilities.

Board Member Hilary Kozel said at a May 8 meeting that she was open to a “November possibility,” given the reduction to $75 million. Member Jenny Slagle was also open to November at that meeting.

At the same meeting, Board Member Mike Wiser said he would prefer to wait until February at the earliest.

“I just don’t see what would be causing us to think that we’re going to have a better outcome in November,” Wiser said.

If not November, Lockwood isn’t sure when she’d support sending the bond to ballots.

“Once we get past the decision on November, we’ll just have to connect with folks and look at the next viable option,” Lockwood said. “I don’t know; there’s so many factors.”

In April, Freeman School District voters rejected a $5 million capital levy for the second time. The proposal needed majority support for passage, but in February, 48.9% of voters backed the package. In April, support fell to 43.9% when the district tried a second time.