REPUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT #309

The Republic School District will cultivate a safe, challenging environment for achieving maximum potential and student success.

30306 East Hwy. 20 * Republic, WA 99166 * (509) 775-3173 * Fax 775-3712

Over 50 years ago, in 1966, students in the Republic School District moved into a new high school that the taxpayers of
the district had built through the passage of a bond issue. Thirty years later, the voters again recognized the need to
provide a new educational facility for the children of the community and built a new elementary school.

Both of these schools are still in service and are providing a safe environment for students of the Republic School District
to receive a high quality of education. Unfortunately, the high school is showing its age.

The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) supports school districts through a grant to hire an architect
to evaluate the condition of the school facilities. Republic School District took advantage of these grants in 2003 and
again in 2013. Two different architectural firms were used and each found that there were significant problems with the
high school.

The buildings were evaluated on a scale ranging from 1-100 points, with 1 being the worst quality and 100 being the best
quality. The 2013 study scored the high school building at 57.44 points. This score indicates that the building is in need
of complete modernization or replacement.

It is interesting that the most recent study, completed in 2013, actually scored the high school building higher than the
study that was conducted in 2003. Both studies recognized that good maintenance has enabled the building to continue to
function and has extended the useful life of the building. Unfortunately, this study also recognized that even with
outstanding maintenance, the ability to extend the life of the building beyond another 5-10 years is very uncertain.

The bottom line is that in addition to the age-related problems to be expected in a building that has exceeded its life
expectancy by 20 years, most major systems currently in the high school are on the verge of failure. The plumbing system
is severely clogged. The heating systemthere is no cooling systemis cobbled together and is both inefficient and
inadequate. There is no fire suppression system. The electrical system is at capacity and any expansion of technology
will require upgrades to the capacity. The roof is showing age and, in certain parts of the school, seems to be on the
verge of failure.

Over the course of the last couple of years, the School Board has studied the best course of action to ensure safe and
appropriate facilities for the students in the Republic School District. Through study and consultation with experts in
design construction and building logistics, the School Board has come to understand the challenges associated with
meeting the needs of students through the replacement or modernization of the high school.

In a series of meetings with community members, the School Board worked to gather the sense of what the taxpayers in
the district desire and will support. All of these efforts have resulted in a bond resolution that will be presented to the
voters this coming November.

The bond resolution calls for the building of a new school to serve junior high and high school students. If approved, the
new school will be built on the existing campus. It would include a new gym, cafeteria, student commons area, and
modern computer labs and classrooms. It would be handicap-accessible and include safety features to ensure that visitors
to the school are checked in as they enter.

Determining the best options for improving the school is complex. There are many factors that come into play as
decisions are being made. Many of those factors are determined by forces beyond the control of the School Board.
One of the major things that the School Board has wrestled with is the decision of whether to remodel the existing school
or to build a new school. During the community meetings, sentiment for remodeling was high. It was generally
accepted that remodeling the existing school would be less expensive and would provide a school that was sound.

There was also an argument made that while a remodel might appear less expensive because of the major issues that need
to be addressed, there was no guarantee that a remodel would come in at the estimated cost. Finally, the Board was
concerned that a remodel would result in a school that was not adequate to serve the needs of our students with regard to
technology and educational advances.

The proposal that the Board has developed addresses many issues that were highlighted during our previous Community
Bond Information Meetings. The new school will include a completely remodeled shop. The new school will have
adequate water and sewer, HVAC and electrical systems, and fire suppression systems. The new school will be
compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and designed with student and staff safety in mind. The bond
proposal includes money to demolish the old school while preserving the gym and four classrooms for community use.
The proposal consolidates the transportation and maintenance operations to address failing buildings, to increase
efficiency, and to improve service.

The development of a new school does come with a cost to taxpayers. The total estimated cost of the project is
$14,621,481. Of this amount, the local taxpayers will pay $7,930,000 over the next 21 years. This is estimated to be a
tax rate of $1.86 per $1,000 of assessed value. The state will match 61.18% of the costs that are allowable for state
match.

On November 7th, voters will be asked to decide if it is time for a new secondary school in our district. Between now and
that date, we will hold a series of community meetings. The dates, times, and locations of these meetings will be
announced on our website and Facebook page shortly. We hope to see you there. Feel free to e-mail any questions you
may have to me at jgwinkel@republicsd.org, or call me at work, 509-775-3173, or at home, 509-775-0965.

John Glenewinkel
Superintendent