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NEWPORT — The Newport School District is considering a $48.4 million bond to fund construction at Newport High, Sadie Halstead Middle and Stratton Elementary Schools.
While the district has yet to decide on the final scope and bond amount, four projects under proposal are estimated to cost a total of $65.2 million. Of that, the state is expected to assist with $17.8 million.
At the Newport School District Board’s May 13 meeting, D.A. Davidson projected two bond tax rates in 2026 to cover the remaining local cost: $2.08 per $1,000 of assessed property value over 20 years, or $1.82 per $1,000 over 25 years.
“The facilities would be great for many years to come for the educational community,” D.A. Davidson managing director Cory Plager said at the May 13 meeting.
The first project under proposal is a comprehensive modernization of Newport High, including heating, ventilation and air conditioning upgrades, a new roof, administrative expansions and a new auxiliary gym, as well as modernizations of the library, commons, stage, band and classrooms. Estimated at $54 million, this project would also renovate the main gym, level and add grass to the practice field and remodel the locker rooms, parking lot and plaza.
Two more projects involve adding new security vestibules to Sadie Halstead Middle and Stratton Elementary, estimated at $331,112 and $354,763. At Sadie Halstead Middle, a fourth project estimated at $1 million would add new play equipment with surfacing at key playground locations and clean up the playground site, as well as level and add baseball diamonds, grass, lighting and power to the practice field.
“Safety and security was obviously very important,” NAC Architecture associate principal Kelly Hendrickson said at the district board’s April 15 meeting. “And always is.”
The $48.4 million bond was one option recommended to the district board. Others would allow the district to complete construction with a lower bond amount, but at a smaller scope.
“Funding doesn’t go as far as it used to with inflation, especially post-pandemic, (with) the scarcity of resources and labor,” Plager said.
The district’s last bond was $6.6 million and funded reconstruction at Sadie Halstead Middle. That bond was approved in 2004 for 20 years, ending in 2023.
Besides deciding the final scope and bond amount, the district’s next steps are to select an election date in February, April, August or November 2026 and prepare a bond election resolution. If the district were to file the bond for February 2026, its filing deadline would be Dec. 12 this year.
“That means the board is usually adopting resolutions in November, which means you’ve probably got a pretty good idea of what you’re doing in October,” Plager said. “So it’s really great to be talking this early, so you can really get the time to digest and problem solve.”
The district is also scheduled to renew its Educational Programs and Operations levy next year and may put it on the same ballot as the bond. At a tax rate of $1.50 per $1,000, the district’s EP&O levy funds day-to-day operations, supplementing both basic and special education programs.
In other business, business manager Debra Buttrey presented reports on enrollment and general fund expenditures for the 2024–2025 school year.
Enrollment at the district has increased by 53 students as of May 1, most of whom attend Newport Home Link. Stratton Elementary, Sadie Halstead Middle School and the district’s alternative learning programs — Home Link and Pend Oreille River School — had higher fulltime enrollment counts than were budgeted.
Three of the district’s expenditure areas went over their budgets: Home Link by 3.21%, district-wide by 1.24% and transportation by 2.49%.
“Right now we’re sitting at $329,000 in expenses for the portable that were outside of what was budgeted, and we did always plan for that to come under reserves,” Buttrey said at the May 13 meeting. “So overall, things look good.”
Toward the beginning of the May 13 meeting, Newport High junior Cooper Ericksen introduced the district board to Larry the robot dog.
A member of the Technology Student Association, Ericksen received a two-hour training at a national Technology Student Assocoation event where he learned how to pilot robot dogs like Larry.
While remote-controlling Larry to walk, sit and do tricks around the boardroom, Ericksen explained some of its features, such as Bluetooth connectivity and pre-programmed actions.
“It is one that we can use in computer science class,” career and technical education director Saraya Pierce said at the May 13 meeting. “We can use it in robotics at the middle school level.”
