Yes! But we need your help. Bonds require a 60% supermajority to pass. That means we all need to do our part for this bond to pass. Our kids need a modern and safe school to attend. A school they can feel proud of. A school where they can learn at their best. Middle school is such significant time for our kids, and we need to show them how much we love and care for them by voting yes in November!

Surprisingly, no. The estimated cost to build a new middle school and the cost to renovate/modernize the middle school was estimated to cost the same amount. Because of this, it is recommended to build new construction. The new middle school would be built on the same property (Supplemental Documentation, page 16). The proposed middle school would be built to accommodate grades 5-8 to help alleviate overcrowding at Irene Reither Elementary. The cost to build a new elementary school was estimated around $50 million. Because of this, the Facilities Task Force determined building a new Meridian Middle School for grades 5-8 was the best solution.

Additionally, if the building were to be renovated, instruction would be disrupted by the noise and other logistical considerations during the time that construction would be occurring.

The bond will be a tax increase, but as a community we share the cost. When there is new construction and our assessed values go up, our tax rates will go down. The tax rate will be $1.35 per $1,000 of assessed value.

Did you know that in 2015, the total tax rate in Meridian was $5.06! Even with the addition of this bond, tax payers will be paying less per $1,000 of assessed value than they were in 2015.

Costs are rising every year and the cost to rebuild a school is just going to continue to grow. If we don’t take action now, it could be a long time before another bond could be considered. Both IRE and MMS will turn into portable farms in order to accommodate the increased enrollments. Help us keep our community strong, help us build bright futures: vote yes!

We are the Meridian Citizens for Education Committee (MCEC). We exist to advise the board and educate the voters of the Meridian School District in Whatcom County, Washington. MCEC is a group of community members officially organized to run the Levy and Bond campaign for the Meridian School District. We are registered as a PAC (political action committee) with the Public Disclosure Commission. We file reports on our income and expenses as mandated by RCW’s. We are a nonpartisan committee.

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