Orting superintendent outlines $137.2 million bond to add elementary, high school CTE space and reduce portables

Superintendent (name not specified) told the Orting School District Board of Directors that the district will place a $137.2 million bond before voters and that, if approved, taxes would not take effect until 2027. “We are at t minus 75 days before the final vote,” the superintendent said, and described the package as a “laser focused bond” developed by citizen task forces after the district failed to reach the 60% threshold in 2023.

Why it matters: The superintendent said district enrollment and development growth are outpacing current facilities. He said the district is built for about 2,000 students now but expects more than 5,000 students in the 2030s if projected development is completed, and that the bond would move more than 300 students out of portables and expand career and technical education at the high school.

Key details presented by the superintendent included the bond total, major projects and projected impacts. He described the package as costing $137.2 million (the district previously ran a $119.2 million bond that reached 59% approval and fell about 100 votes short) and said the new package would lower the tax rate to roughly $1.27 per $1,000 of assessed value. The superintendent said that equates to about $50 per month for a $500,000 home and that the state would provide about $11.1 million in matching funds, as presented to the board. The proposed projects named in the presentation were a new Orting Elementary (projected cost $110 million) and a 200‑student high‑school addition focused on CTE (projected cost $38.3 million).

The superintendent laid out facility problems the bond is intended to address: crowded classrooms and cafeterias, insufficient restroom capacity in portable clusters, heating and cooling problems with classrooms that “regularly get over 85 degrees,” and traffic and parking that back up onto Highway 162. He said the new elementary site plan would add pick‑up/drop‑off space, additional parking and separate vehicle circulation from pedestrian and school bus areas to address daily backups.

Enrollment and growth numbers the superintendent cited: over 4,000 new homes are projected to be built in the next decade (including about 542 multifamily units) and those developments could generate more than 2,000 additional students in the next ten years. He said the district served more than 36,000 additional meals last year at Orting Elementary in a facility built for about 200 students and that the high school currently has 22 portables, with two‑thirds of students spending their full day in portables.

Community engagement and timeline: The superintendent said the bond process has been community driven, beginning with a citizens facility advisory committee in 2021 and continuing through a task force this year. He said outreach will include facility tours, a virtual town hall, mailings to every residence in October and weekly informational material leading to an early‑November vote. He invited residents to review materials already posted to BoardDocs and the district website.

Limits and next steps: The presentation was informational only; no bond measure vote or board action on the bond occurred at the meeting. The superintendent said taxes would not be collected until 2027 if voters approve the measure in the upcoming election.

Quotes and attribution: “Bonds are different from levies. They require a 60% super majority,” the superintendent said, noting the higher threshold is difficult to achieve. “This bond would cost a dollar 27,” he said when describing the projected rate per $1,000 of assessed value.

Related board action discussed at the meeting included approval of the district’s capital facilities plan and continued advocacy with Pierce County to increase school impact fees; Executive Director Cliff Fries told the board the district is pressing Pierce County elected officials for a higher impact fee because the cost to create a seat is about $50,000 while the current impact fee is $4,595, creating a disproportionate cost burden on existing taxpayers.

What the board will do next: The superintendent said staff will ramp up community outreach and tours; the board did not take a formal vote on the bond at this meeting. The capital facilities plan resolution was approved during the same meeting (see separate article on budget and resolutions for that vote).