Eastmont School Board Approves Bond Proposal For Ballot

The Eastmont School District Board of Directors has approved a resolution to place a new bond proposal before voters next February.

The board voted in favor of the move at its regularly-scheduled meeting on Monday night.

The $117 million dollar ask would be used to make renovations the district says are critical at several of its elementary schools.

Eastmont Superintendent Becky Berg says she's very pleased with the amount of input that was provided by citizens within the district regarding the measure.

"I'm just so thrilled we were able to have such a productive community conversation. We conducted it electronically but we had about nine-hundred people respond, and I don't know the last time I've had nine-hundred people in a room talking about schools. I believe we had some respectful dialogue and we came up with a solid plan to move forward. So that's pretty remarkable in these days of such division."

Now that the bond proposal has been approved by the board, Berg says the work that's needed before it goes before voters has only just begun.

"Next, the district will embark on an information campaign. There are a lot of laws regarding what we can and cannot do to promote a bond measure during work time, so we'll try to flood the appropriate channels with the best information. Then the 'yes' committee will kick into gear on the other side."

If the bond passes, taxpayers in the district will see no change to the rate they currently pay, which is $2.92 per $1,000 of assessed property value.

Last November, a $185 million bond measure from the district failed to reach the state's 60% requirement for passage when it received only 51% of voter support.

The new bond measure will be appear on the ballot as part of the special election on Feb. 13, 2024.

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