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Why this is a good CV bond*
8/4/2010 10:36:21 AM
*And also a bad one
Splash Editorial
After batting 0 for 3 in construction bonds during the first decade of this millennium, a proposed Central Valley School District bond for 2011 could very well reverse the curse with one change to the lineup card.
Who's the new heavy hitter, you ask? Wrong question. The more important change may prove to be who was taken out. You see, unlike the bond that failed in 2003 (which would have built a school on the lot next to Liberty Lake Elementary) or the two that fell short in 2006 (which would have built both an elementary and middle school in Liberty Lake), the 2011 bond proposal builds nothing in Liberty Lake. Zilch. Indeed, the closest geographic consequence to the bond would be the closing of a school - the Central Valley Kindergarten Center on Barker Road.
We know what you're thinking: Tell me again why this is a good bond? Two words: Its chances. The past three bonds received heavy support in Liberty Lake, but fell short of the required supermajority district-wide because folks casting ballots in the mostly built-out precincts of Spokane Valley saw no benefit to new construction - at least not for their kids.
Sure, the vast majority of the district's growth is in the eastern part of the school district (and that includes a lot of development in Greenacres), but it's hard to fault the decision-makers in the CVSD administration building for taking history into consideration when proposing this new bond. They want it to pass.
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And while it's a far, far cry from ideal, Liberty Lake needs it to pass, if only to keep school service area boundaries from becoming downright laughable.
So how did this get to a point where we're voting so that Liberty Lake kids are only bused to Greenacres instead of bused to Progress? Really, the east side of the district is a victim of chronology. For the most part, we came second, and it's harder to convince the majority who already have plenty of neighborhood schools to build some for the newer developments, too.
Enter the 2011 bond, which includes as its big-ticket item a remodel and expansion of Evergreen Middle School, in the heart of Spokane Valley. Residents of Liberty Lake's River District will benefit from a new elementary school to be built at Mission and Long (about a half-mile west of Barker) in Greenacres. The dozens of Liberty Lake students who already attend Greenacres Elementary School will benefit from a $14.4 million remodel of that building. The bond would also remodel and expand Chester and Opportunity elementaries and remodel Ponderosa Elementary.
Meanwhile, a site the CVSD once had dibs on in Liberty Lake's River District was returned to its developer, and that empty field next to Liberty Lake Elementary School remains just that. Last described as a middle school site, the current CVSD capital facilities plan doesn't ask voters to construct a new middle school until 2033. It's hard to fathom that vacant lot will remain weeds and bike trails for another quarter-century, but surely other alternatives (selling it to the city or a developer?) would transform the lot by then.
Which brings up the concern that empty lots, like the lost opportunity in the River District, will be less and less available as Liberty Lake continues to build out.
A lack of long-range planning for school facilities in the community was a main reason a group led by Liberty Lake's Randy Grinalds proposed breaking from CVSD and forming a Greater Liberty Lake School District in 2004 and 2005. The idea faced hurdles in state law and faded to a whisper when the 2006 Central Valley bonds proposed major Liberty Lake construction.
Liberty Lake is at a similar crossroads today, and the community would do well to ask itself some questions. Are we OK with leading the district in bus miles? Do alternatives even exist? Is the definition of a "neighborhood school" broad enough that campuses in Greenacres can eventually be embraced by residents who live on the east side of Liberty Lake Road?
This is not a time for finger-pointing. The CVSD has put together a plausible plan for passing a bond. If Liberty Lake doesn't approve, it needs to be part of the solution.