Puyallup schools try to regroup after bond measure failure
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PUYALLUP, Wash. -- When Puyallup sounded the alarm to save their schools, voters failed to answer the call. Now school officials worry kids in Kindergarten through high school could be stuck trying to learn inside old, decrepit buildings.
Every day at Puyallup High School, thousands of kids learn in old, beat-up portable classrooms -- out the outside, the paint is peeling and moss is growing on the roofs. Inside,it's cramped and there are no modern-day learning tools anywhere -- not even a TV.
It's all the more reason the Puyallup School District is crushed that a $279 million bond referendum that was on the ballot Tuesday failed.
"While building costs are low, while construction costs were low we had projects ready to go," said district spokesperson Brian Fox.
Fox says most of the money was earmarked for new classroom and new equipment. But now kids will have to keep trudging through the cold and rain to portables, which he says are unsafe and cost too much.
"It costs us one and half times more to heat and cool those buildings," Fox said.
The school bond needed a super majority to win. So while about 55 percent of the voters said yes, it needed 60 percent to pass.
But while the bond gained a lot of support, other said they should have bonded for a lower amount, including Puyallup City Councilman John Hopkins.
"I compared this bond with the Tacoma bond," Hopkins said.
A similar school bond in nearby Tacoma passed with flying colors, but at about 1/3 of the cost to taxpayers.
"I normally support all of these things," Hopkins said. "This case, I did think it was too high."
The people who lose the most, however, are the kids.
"We're eight ears behind on buildings and construction and it's going to be very difficult to figure out what we'll do in the future," Fox said.
The school board will meet on Feb. 25 to talk about putting the bond issue back on the ballot. That could happen as early as April, but realistically not until this fall or next year.
Every day at Puyallup High School, thousands of kids learn in old, beat-up portable classrooms -- out the outside, the paint is peeling and moss is growing on the roofs. Inside,it's cramped and there are no modern-day learning tools anywhere -- not even a TV.
It's all the more reason the Puyallup School District is crushed that a $279 million bond referendum that was on the ballot Tuesday failed.
"While building costs are low, while construction costs were low we had projects ready to go," said district spokesperson Brian Fox.
Fox says most of the money was earmarked for new classroom and new equipment. But now kids will have to keep trudging through the cold and rain to portables, which he says are unsafe and cost too much.
"It costs us one and half times more to heat and cool those buildings," Fox said.
The school bond needed a super majority to win. So while about 55 percent of the voters said yes, it needed 60 percent to pass.
But while the bond gained a lot of support, other said they should have bonded for a lower amount, including Puyallup City Councilman John Hopkins.
"I compared this bond with the Tacoma bond," Hopkins said.
A similar school bond in nearby Tacoma passed with flying colors, but at about 1/3 of the cost to taxpayers.
"I normally support all of these things," Hopkins said. "This case, I did think it was too high."
The people who lose the most, however, are the kids.
"We're eight ears behind on buildings and construction and it's going to be very difficult to figure out what we'll do in the future," Fox said.
The school board will meet on Feb. 25 to talk about putting the bond issue back on the ballot. That could happen as early as April, but realistically not until this fall or next year.
I graduated from the Puyallup School District in 2009. I voted NO.  Maybe they need to use the money they have and actually educate the students in the schools. The sports teams have everything they need yet every one else suffers. The arts like orchestra and band always suffer because the money goes to sports. The more money your family has the better you do in school. I got high honors when I graduated and I worked my butt off to achieve my grades yet when I got to college I had to take lower levels in math and writing because I wasn't up to standards. And when you are disabled you are branded stupid and get isolated from day one. That includes their own table at lunch. Yet when a vice principle goes on a field trip he doesnt get in trouble but when the principle goes it costs him his job. Maybe if they worked on these issues then more people would be willing to vote for the school bond. I personally give the puyallup school district two thumbs downÂ
This is sad, but I don't think blaming the 10K voters who said no is the answer. It's pointing a finger and passing blame which will accomplish nothing. I grew up in Puyallup and attended school here. I and my family have voted for public education even when faced with heavy opposition from teachers and administrators over the direction of my children's education. We have been bullied over our personal beliefs in education and had to deal with "I'm more educated then you" attitudes. When a school bond fails it's easy to point a finger and accuse the nay-Sayers of "failing the children", but the failing happened before the election. The bond not passing is a symptom not the cause of us "failing" our children. Give me a break! Â Stop using the "children will now suffer" as a mallet to beat people over the head. We can get angry at the people who voted no, or we can stop and listen to what was really being said - the bond failed because the partnership between parents, teachers, administrators and government is crumbling and in a lot of areas does not exist. A lot of parents are being alienated from the classroom and many times have to go to go to GREAT LENGTHSÂ to advocate for their children. Teachers are overworked, under paid, (yes I do believe that to be true...don't sue me for it) and kept from meeting individual needs by budget cuts and "rules" from administrators that demand they teach from a one size fits all curriculum. Administrators are told what to do by lawmakers who don't know what the hell they are doing. And at the top sits those in WA D.C. who tout "no child left behind" as the greatest discovery since sliced bread. We have grown too big for our britches and have successfully put each other at arms length and blamed each other for this huge mess we are in. I hope and pray that the new Superintendent of PSD will see this for what it really is and work toward fixing the bridge that was burnt a long time ago. I believe that it is possible to come together and rebuild, but EVERYONE is going to have to let go of their egos first. Â Oh, and as far as taxes go....we really are being taxed beyond our limits. Â And when our kids are not being educated like they should it is hard to justify the expense.
I was just at the Puyallup's gym they have their Varsity boys and girls basketball team members individual photos blown up on each window up front seems like they have money to spend on non-essential things.  Those pictures are facing those portables maybe the bigger picture should be considered.  Even the people installing them could see the portables while they worked.Â
I voted no and will keep voting no i am sick and tired of them wasting good money becouse start cutting management and staff. freeze all pay for a year or two. stop the mailing to every person in the district its a waste of money, plan better when you build projects and audit them every other year..     Â
I do not want to hear that teachers  are over worked and under paid I live by Emerald Ridge and by 1445-1500 the staff parking lot is a ghost town. becouse topping out at 70k plus for a job with 3 months off and every holiday ever invent is not over paid  and ITS FOR THE Children
Kids and schools should be priority.
If only all people knew the problems schools deal with daily.
And kinda ironic that so many people say our schools are failing, our education system is failing.
EVERYONE needs to be a part of helping schools - these kids are our future.
The "problem" has NOTHING to do with throwing money at it. When you have no disipline and no control giving them gold plated desks will change nothing.
@SoCal_Bound Agreed but throwing money into a black hole isn't the answer
@tacomamama Oh My Gosh...... The Attorney Fees Are enough ... Took Me A Year To Pay To Get Rid of a Dead Beat, Cheater.
I'm shocked! Â Usually, you needn't even bother checking the election results. Â School districts in particular and government in general needs to understand that taxpayers are not bottomless wallets that can be shaken whenever it pleases them.
'Every day at Puyallup High School, thousands of kids learn in old, beat-up portable classrooms -- out the outside, the paint is peeling and moss is growing on the roofs. Inside,it's cramped and there are no modern-day learning tools anywhere -- not even a TV'.
Most of my classes 40 years ago were in 'portables' and we didn't have tv.
OMG!
@bobalouie Yah I thought that was the best part too, right after the "We're eight ears behind" I didn't know you could be behind an ear :-)
@bobalouie Many of my classes a whopping twenty years ago were the same.  Oh no!  Yet, somehow I and my contemporaries seem to have gotten a better education.
I couldn't read the whole story. Got brick-walled when I learned that not having a TV apparently equates to an unworkable learning environment. I remember when teachers taught instead of parking kids in front of videos to learn. If that's the new normal we don't need schools, kids can go online and receive the same.
Puyallup voters are a lot smarter than they are given credit for. they see behind the wasteful practices of the school district.
Jus keep the state paid day care open no matter how poor the conditions.
BTW, for those whining about an audit, you would have no clue if one was handed to you today.
@Common Sense
Iâm pretty sure with an accounting degree behind my name and working for over 25 years as an analyst, Iâd be able to read an audit thank you very much
@Common Sense Indeed, close it down.  Public schools suck.  Gov't union teachers are overpaid to brainwash kids.
I live in Puyallup and two thirds of my yearly homeowners tax goes to schools and thatâs just my house, multiply that by every household in Puyallup and it all adds up to a TON of money. There should be NO reason they canât make do with whatâs coming in already. I want an independent audit, where is all this money going???
Looks like the writer of this story is a graduate of this "poor" school system. I counted at least two words not spelled correctly.
Cry me a river school district. Kids in the old days learned quite well in shacks with little to no heat. How dare you complain about the poor students having to get a little wet traversing their way to a portable. Why don't you focus instead on teaching these kids how to speel?
@James127YEP! Â My grandmother learned in a place like that, dirt floor and all. Â She used a slate & chalk in the lower grades too. Â After she died we had to go through her things, when we found some of her old school stuff, we learned she was doing work in 6th grade that I did not get to until the 9th.
It appears to me that many of the teachers are more interested in making EXCUSES for the declining standards, than actually doing anything about improving them.Â
"When Puyallup sounded the alarm to save their schools, voters failed to answer the call."
What bias. Puyallup voters did the smart thing Tacoma voters appear to be incapable of doing; recognize that government, especially public school systems are OUT OF CONTROL. Every year there is a request for more money, and yet somehow that money never actually contributes towards education or fixing broken facilities. Where does the money go? A smart person would look at this and go....what am I getting for my money? What are the children getting for our tax dollars? No, some people apparently want to continue throwing money at the problem, at the same people who have proven, time and time again, that they cannot be trusted to spend the tax dollars they get now effectively.  When leadership at these school systems show what they are putting these public funds towards; show us that our tax dollars are being used effectively, maybe then I will consider voting for a levy or tax increase. Until then, I will continue to vote an emphatic NO on every levy and tax increase, for any reason, that comes my way.
The laugh in Tacoma is going to be when rents go up. Many of the voters who say yes rent. They are products of the public school and have no clue. They âthinkâ it will not effect them. So when the owner has to pay for this they pass it on to the renters. You will then hear the crying and wailing because they got what they voted for, higher rent.
@dg54321Â Yeah, I caught that too -- the voters "failed to answer the call". Â Outrageous.
Since the state has decided to issue construction bonds for the schools maybe they should wait and see what happens anyway. Some of these levies are way out of line. Property owners are really getting tired of the never ending expenses of public education and how much that expense is growing and eating into the bottom line. Some of these levies will end up being passed onto the next generation and quite frankly putting your children into debt for so many years isn't doing them a favor. As far as the moss, clean it up. As far as the paint, paint it. Neither makes the building unusable. Maintain what's already there.