SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. – The East Valley School District is urging the community to support a new bond measure aimed at replacing outdated school facilities. This would be the first bond passed in 30 years for the district.
If the proposed 2026 bond is approved, the district plans to replace its middle and high school buildings, which were originally constructed in the 1960s.
Brian Talbott, superintendent for the East Valley School District, highlighted the need for improvements. “How do we tell our kids that this is good enough, when they go to the other districts, they go to other schools and they see what their counterparts, their peers have,” Talbott said.
The current state of East Valley High School reflects the urgent need for renovations. Visitors may notice holes in the walls, ceilings and floors. Recently, the boys’ locker room experienced flooding.
Adam Fisher, from East Valley High School, described the situation, saying, “We had to get everything off of the floor because it was saturated, and had to get everything out of the closets.”
The district has expressed a desire to address these issues comprehensively. Talbott emphasized, “And we’re trying to do it through capital levies, we’re grateful for the support, but it doesn’t hit the root cause, we’re just patching.”
Talbott’s goal with the bond is to find long-term solutions rather than temporary fixes. “We have gone far too long without being able to address our facility needs in East Valley and we can no longer just continue to put duct tape and bailing twine on the buildings, we’re at that point,” Talbott said.
The bond request is for $220 million and would add approximately $1.23 for every thousand dollars of county assessed home and property value, following the expiration of current capital levy projects. This initiative could also be supported by state assistance.
Neale Rasmussen from the East Valley School District explained, “We anticipate we will get about $55 million from the state of Washington but that’s only if the bond passes.”
The community’s decision on this bond will determine the future of school facilities in East Valley.
