Spokane Public Schools, Parks and Recreation to study partnership in future tax proposals

Each with potential property tax proposals on the horizon, Spokane Public Schools and the city Parks and Recreation Department have launched a study to see how the two could partner moving forward.

The internal study aims to find areas of efficiency, identifying ways the two could share “assets and resources” to benefit them both, school Superintendent Adam Swinyard and parks Director Garrett Jones said in a brief interview Wednesday.

“What we’re studying is, we all see the value in the partnerships and existing relationships between the city and Spokane Public Schools,” Jones said. “When we look at smarter government and efficiency in the existing assets we have currently, how can we leverage existing assets to impact the community in a positive way?”

They’ll share results of the study in early 2025, which will help each entity’s board of directors in shaping potential tax asks. The school district’s previous attempt, a $200 million bond to pay for a litany of construction, failed to earn the 60% voter support. The parks department’s proposed $225 million levy has twice been delayed by the city council and again by its own board for more time to coordinate a campaign with the school district.

Until the study wraps, Swinyard said it would be premature to discuss details of what may appear on ballots and when.

“We want to make sure this isn’t rushed and we’re very transparent,” Jones said.

The study seeks to identify “resources and assets,” that can be shared between entities.

Swinyard pointed to neighboring schools and parks, like Grant Elementary and Grant Park, and Shadle Park High School and Shadle Park, that could present an opportunity for symbiosis.

“We already share a lot of spaces; how do we maximize those assets?” Swinyard said.

As an influx of students play sports or join clubs through schools and more residents seek parks programming, there’s a demand for space from both entities, Swinyard said.

It wouldn’t be the school district’s first tax tango with another government agency, linking arms with Spokane Public Libraries in 2018 as each entity sought a bond for construction. The two ran as separate ballot items, with two collaborative projects: a branch inside Shaw Middle School and a facility near the Libby Center.

“Instead of building a standalone library in the Hillyard neighborhood and a brand-new middle school, we built a library in a middle school,” Swinyard said.

A potential partnership could give voters a better value for their tax dollars, Jones told city council on Monday, and as they saw in 2018, increase the odds of passage when campaigning together.

“This is really about smart government,” Jones said . “These are two government agencies, and rather than working in silos and working in isolation of each other, this is about creating a smarter, safer community and seeing where we can create efficiencies.”