2025 Bond Common Questions

Security has been and is currently funded by levies, the general fund and previous bonds.

Most of the security capabilities that we currently have in the district have been obtained through local levy funding and the general fund budget. Security features are included in any new building or remodel that is funded by a voter-approved bond measure.

For example:

• Add security vestibules at Liberty High School, Issaquah High School and Skyline High School.
• Increase building security by updating cameras, intercoms, automatic door locks and other security components. These are included in the cost of a new building and covered by the bond. 

Yes.

The Safety & Security team’s proposal includes a recommendation to install door locks that can be operated from the inside of classrooms. 

Window coverings help block outside threats and improve security.

• This includes a range of options for windows to deter any outsiders who attempt to get into the building with the intent to do harm to staff and students.  
   
• In general, our school security measures always use a multi-layered approach including measures such as perimeter security, visitor and entry access systems, cameras and building monitoring, and more. 

Delays were caused by legal and permitting issues. Escalation of construction prices increased costs over time.

Construction of the New High School was delayed by many years due to multiple factors. Initial delays of 3.5 years were caused by the land and existing structures being designated as historic landmarks, which necessitated litigation to resolve. Later delays were caused by about 2.5 years of permitting. The fact that delays had caused significant escalations in the project costs meant that the district no longer had enough money to complete construction, which is a requirement.

The current estimate to complete the New High School is $292.7 million. When it was initially planned in preparation for the 2016 Bond, the cost estimate was $120 million. As time passed, the cost went up steadily due to inflation, cost escalation and other factors.  

About $20 million.

Approximately $20 million has been spent on permitting, litigation, design, preconstruction services and consultant fees.   

Yes, the high school is "shovel ready" and construction is ready to begin once the district has all funds.

We have an approved land use permit, an approved clearing/grading permit and the main building permit is in its second review cycle and expected to be ready for issuance by the end of the year. Our permits expire in April.

If the bond passes in February, we anticipate beginning construction on the new high school in Spring of 2025 and opening in time for the 2027-28 school year (assuming we don't encounter any unforeseen circumstances, legal challenges, etc.).

Before construction may begin, the district must ensure that it has all the funds to build the New High School project.

We have $134 million set aside for the New High School. The $138.7 million that the bond measure would provide for the New High School would allow us to begin construction with the current permits (the permits expire in April of 2025).

Overcrowding restricts program availability and movement within the schools, and our high schools are already among the largest in the state in terms of enrollment.

When schools are overcrowded it limits what courses and programs we can offer, students have trouble moving through hallways, and it increases wear and tear on our facilities. Teachers and staff also sometimes have difficulty moving between classrooms between periods. Our students, families and community members experience traffic and congestion at and near our schools. 

Issaquah High School and Skyline High School are currently in the top 20 highest enrollment in Washington state.

Here is the Student Enrollment (Full-Time Equivalent or FTE) by School for High schools.

Source: OSPI Report Card Enrollment for the 2023-24 School Year.

Operating costs are under 1% of the budget and come from the general fund.

Regarding the new high school and its future operating costs, the district will approach these expenses in the same way it funds all other schools by first using state apportionment through the General Fund. The slight increase in our district’s fund balance over the past two years is indicative of how the district is making budget adjustments to accommodate the future high school operating cost.

While a new high school will add some fixed operational and overhead costs, most expenses are already accounted for in staffing that will follow the students to the new school. The cost to run the new high school is approximately less than 1% of the district’s annual operating budget.

The district would not get additional funding to operate a new high school. However, efficiencies can be achieved by running our new and existing buildings at optimal capacity. 

There have been questions about levies funding operations. Levies support all schools for specific categories and typically run on a four-year cycle. These levies cannot exceed the maximum legal authority and require voter approval for renewal once they expire to maintain local school funding. Most levies on the ballot replace expiring ones, and if approved by the board, we anticipate renewing the 2022 levy in 2026. The 2026 levy is a replacement and is projected to not increase the combined tax rate.

Growth. 

Our high schools have upheld academic excellence, but overcrowding creates challenges. With current enrollment and future years projected to exceed capacity, space limitations impact safety, support and personalization.

Enrollment projections show:

 

4221 228th Ave. S.E., Issaquah, WA 98029

The new high school will balance enrollment, reducing congestion and improving safety at current schools.

• The district continues to be overcrowded at the high school level, and those conditions are predicted to continue. The new high school would have a “starting” student population of 1,300-1,400 students and the other two high schools would have similar student populations; these are more optimal levels of enrollment based on the site plans for educational programming and student experience. 

• When the new high school opens, approximately 600-700 students will come from EACH of Skyline High School and Issaquah High School. That would mean 600-700 fewer students at both Skyline High School and Issaquah High School.   

• Fewer students at each of Issaquah and Skyline would mean fewer bus riders, fewer parents/guardians dropping off and picking up students, fewer student drivers, and would reduce our dependency on portable classrooms, improving safety at the schools.  

Yes.

The New High School Project includes improving 228th Avenue Southeast with the extension of two existing lanes, the addition of two left turn lanes and sidewalks.

Yes, bonds include interest, but careful planning and refinancing save taxpayers millions.

Bonds represent a form of debt that requires repaying principal with interest, making it essential for districts to carefully plan and manage their financial strategies to minimize costs and ensure fiscal responsibility. As a practice, our district includes bond interest in its projections to ensure a clear understanding of how potential new bonds and their repayment affect current and future tax rates.

If the February 2025 Bond measure is passed, the district plans to sell bonds in calendar year 2025 and make principal and interest payments through 2035, totaling slightly over an estimated $95 million at an estimated interest rate projected at 4.56%. The bond principal and interest amounts are set over the repayment period and will not increase over time. When it comes to bond interest, financial standing, timing and monitoring are essential cost saving strategies that can save taxpayers millions. The district continues to maintain a strong financial standing and high bond rating (Moody’s Aa1; S&P AA+). We estimate that the district can sell the bonds at a premium, which means we will need to repay about $216 million in principal (less than the $231.6 million we will receive in funding).

Inflation and unpredictable changes to local, national and international economies annually cause construction labor and material costs to rise. The first obvious strategy is to pass a bond and lock-in a low interest rate that allows construction and associated purchasing efforts to begin immediately before material and labor costs rise. The second strategy is bond refunding throughout the debt window to refinance to lower rates. This is similar to refinancing a home mortgage when interest rates are lower. For previous bond measures, the district has provided significant cost savings by aggressively monitoring to secure lower interest rates.

In the last three years alone (2022, 2023, and 2024), the district has refinanced previous debt three times and saved taxpayers $10.1 million dollars in interest payments. The current interest on the 2012 bonds is 20% lower and the 2016 bonds is 17% lower than originally projected. As a result, refinancing efforts provided a $72.7 million cost savings and also reduced the combined tax rate far below projected rates. The 2012 bond was initially projected to have a combined tax rate of $4.42, but the actual rate in 2024 was much lower at $3.10. Similarly, the 2016 bond had an initial projected combined tax rate of $4.14, while the actual rate in 2023 was $3.13.

If approved, the February 2025 Bond, covering both principal and interest, will not raise the combined rate and is expected to remain at $3.09 per $1,000 of assessed property value.

The bond won’t raise the current projected tax rate of $3.09.

The estimated combined tax rate for all existing bonds and levies is $3.09 for the calendar year 2025 based on calendar year assessed value data.

If approved, the February 2025 Bond, covering both principal and interest, is expected to not raise the combined rate and remain at the projected amount of $3.09 per $1,000 of assessed property value.

Historic and Projected Tax Rate Information

Issaquah’s tax rate is mid-range compared to other districts.

If compared to the 19 districts in King County, Issaquah’s total tax rate for 2024 was about in the middle of the pack, at $3.13 per $1,000 assessed property value, with the highest district at $4.71 and the lowest at $0.46 per $1,000 assessed property value, respectively. If compared to districts of a similar total assessed property value across the state, Issaquah is still about in the middle of the pack, with the highest total tax rate at $4.38 and the lowest at $1.44 per $1,000 assessed property value.

No.

Voters approve a total amount for the district to collect. As property values increase or as more properties are built, the rate paid by individual taxpayers may go down. 

Addressing urgent safety and overcrowding needs is overdue.

Typically, the district has run bonds every four to six years. Our last bond measure was approved eight years ago. We did not run a bond in 2020 due to COVID.  The November 2024 package fell short of the required 60% supermajority needed to pass; it received "yes" votes from 50.08% of voters.

The February 2025 measure prioritizes the district's most immediate needs: Safety and Security updates, and high school capacity to ease overcrowding.

Bonds fund long-term construction; levies cover short-term operations and maintenance.

• A bond is debt that must be repaid with interest over a set period of time, usually 20 years. Purchasers of the bonds pay for the bonds immediately, giving the district instantly available funds. The bonds have a maturity date. Money raised from bonds may only be used for specific new construction projects. Passing a bond requires a supermajority of 60% “yes” votes; and, voter turnout must equal 40% of the number of people who cast ballots in the district during the prior General Election. 

• A levy is a tax imposed on local property owners to raise money for services and maintenance. The term “levy” refers to the act of imposing a tax to raise revenue. Levies have a shorter term, usually three to six years, and must be renewed by voters when they expire. The amount is spread across the district's property owners, assessing the levy on each in proportion to the size and value of their property. Levies provide an annual fixed amount of money to the district and are often used for general operations, purchase of buses, critical repairs and technology. To validate a school levy, a simple majority is required (50% plus one vote).

The updated bond totals $231.6 million, focusing on urgent district needs.

In response to the November 2024 election results and after listening to community feedback, Issaquah School District is asking the community to consider an updated, smaller bond package that prioritizes the district's most immediate needs. The total amount of the new package is $231.6 million. It is predicted to keep the total combined tax rate for the Issaquah School District the same.

School construction and modernization are minimally funded by the state, which is why school districts rely on local, voter-approved bond funding. Funding from the updated bond measure would be used to pay for safety and security updates at all schools across the district, and to address overcrowding at the high school level. 

Here are the estimated totals for the different types of projects included in the bond package. (For details about each school and site in the district, visit our Projects by Location page).

A community oversight committee will ensure financial transparency and accountability for all capital projects.

• The district is establishing a Capital Projects Oversight Committee (formerly referred to as the Bond Oversight Committee). The committee will include community members, parents/guardians, financial experts, professionals with construction expertise and project management professionals.  
   
• This group will be asked to review quarterly financial reports to ensure bond and levy expenditures align with the plans that voters approved. Committee members also would help track the progress of construction projects, timelines and budget compliance; help ensure bond and levy projects adhere to legal and regulatory requirements; provide regular updates to the School Board; and share their findings with the community. 
   
• Meetings would be open to the public. 
   
• Updates from the committee would be published on the district website; and the committee would publish an annual update summarizing the status of bond- and levy-funded projects and financial health, which would be available to the public and presented to the School Board. 

Reconfiguring schools would disrupt students, increase costs and complicate programs.

Reconfiguring schools and grade bands would create widespread disruption across the district for staff, students and families. This would create challenges that affect teaching and learning and current programming by level. School and grade reconfiguration would require a change in current boundaries and feeder patterns, and assumes students are all at the same level and need. Currently, our students have access to courses, activities and athletics that are tailored to meet their age group. School districts need to adhere to a variety of laws and regulations to deliver instruction including assignment of staff based on certification and high school graduation requirements. In addition, reconfiguration would increase costs, staffing and complexity. There would be a need for significant changes to building layouts and classroom spaces, demanding additional financial investment in renovations or construction to accommodate new grade levels. Students may have to travel further to attend school. Most importantly, it is not aligned with our approach to serving students at a high level of learning and well-being based on their age.

The projects from the 2016 Bond Committee recommendations that were not completed are:

• Elementary #17.
• New High School due to unforeseen litigation and cost escalation (see High School section of this page, above). 
• Land for Transportation.

View the list of projects from the last three bond measures.

We have completed all of the projects from the 2012 bond measure.

Full details are available on our Capital Projects page, under the "2012 Bond Projects" tab.