There is a lot of work that goes into determining a bond amount. The District works with pre-bond services and companies to determine the most accurate estimates and projections.
When estimating the costs in 2015, the district and board at the time were given an estimated amount that would be received from the School Construction Assistance Program (SCAP), often referred to as state matching funds. The amount the district was told was incorrect. The bond amount ($68.5 million) was only part of the funds needed to complete all of the projects ($86 million). The remaining amount to complete them ($18 million) would have come from the estimated state funding (SCAP)
The projections given to the district by the architect for the cost of construction were also incorrect. The bond promised ‘not a penny more,’ which did not build enough contingency for the changes in construction costs and the incorrect projection for state matching funds, resulting in a significant deficit.
$68.5 million (out of the $86 million needed to complete all projects) was collected through the bond. The $68.5 million and the funding the district received through SCAP was used to complete the modernization of Enumclaw High School and Black Diamond Elementary. With the $6 million deficit in SCAP funding and the significant increase in construction costs, the performing arts center was not able to be completed.
Learning from this experience, for the recent bond asks, the district asked for the full amount to complete all of the projects (not relying on SCAP or grants) and no longer works with the entities used to determine the cost projections for 2015 to prevent this from happening in the future.
Here is an article from 2016 that you may find helpful: https://www.courierherald.com/news/school-bond-wont-pay-for-all-of-enumclaw-highs-upgrades/
Although the current board members and district administrators were not involved in the planning of the 2015 bond, we will work to answer any questions you may have to the best of our ability and provide transparency. Our focus is on rebuilding community trust and preventing something like this from happening in the future.
