NINE MILE FALLS, Wash. — Nine Mile Falls voters are voting on a capital levy that would bring major repairs to Lakeside High School in this year’s upcoming special election.
The levy would increase property taxes to 58 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. A homeowner with a $600,000 house would pay about $350 per year — $125 more than now. The levy would raise $6.2 million over five years.
Students and staff say the 30-year-old high school needs major repairs. The roof leaks. The heating and cooling systems don’t work well. The track has wide cracks that hurt runners.
Senior Olivia Divine is a senior on the Lakeland Varsity track team.
“Our track is really great team wise. The track itself is not,” Divine said. “It gets really hard, especially middle end of season, when everyone’s been running on it for so long that people start to get injured. You have a lot of kids with shin splints.”
Principal Dr. Brent Osborn says the building problems make it hard for students to learn.
“There have been times we’ve had buckets in hallways. There’s been times when we’ve been cold or too hot or uncomfortable. And that makes learning difficult. We want to make learning a positive experience for our kids,” Osborn said.
The levy money would pay for a new track, roof repairs, heating and cooling fixes, new security cameras, and replacing a condemned portable classroom.
Superintendent Jeff Baerwald says the state doesn’t give schools money for these big repairs.
“The state does not fund this level of maintenance for buildings. We actually have to go out to our local taxpayers or get grants,” Baerwald said.
If the levy fails, the district might try again in November.
“Plan B would be to take this back out in November. We’ll bring the team back together, identify which projects need to be done,” Baerwald said.
Divine graduates in two months but is advocating for the levy to help future students, including her younger brother.
“I have a little brother, and I have friends with little siblings that could really, really benefit from a good learning environment and not being injured during track season,” Divine said.
The election ends April 28.
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