CENTRAL KITSAP – If the U.S. Congress votes the way Central Kitsap School District board members hope it will, the proposed $220 million capital projects bond might be reduced by $10 million, to $210 million.

Changes in how the Elementary Secondary Education Act is written could mean that two years of Heavy Impact Aid – worth $14 million – could be restored to CKSD. $10 million of that $14 million could possibly go toward reducing the proposed bond.

Another $1.5 million of the $14 million could go toward reducing the proposed $68 million School Support Levy. The remainder of the $14 million might wind up in debt service.

Both the bond and levy will be up for a vote in Kitsap County Feb. 9.

[ LINK: CKSD’s bond and levy page ]

If the Heavy Impact Aid gets approved, the CKSD board will hash out the details of what to do with the money at their Dec. 9 meeting.

Re-writing the bond and levy proposals so they’re lower by $11.5 million ($10 million and $1.5 million, respectively) are one option.

“Our greatest need is our capital infrastructure,” said Doug Newell, CKSD executive director of business & operations, arguing in favor of reducing the bond to $210 million to make it more appealing to voters.

“The total cost for phase II of our long range plan was estimated at $260 million. We estimated $40 million was going to come from state construction assistance (and) $220 million from local community support,” Newell said.

The $14 million in Heavy Impact Aid would change the numbers to $40 million from the state, $10 million from the Department of Education Heavy Impact Aid and $210 million from the local community. “We think this is the right thing to do for our community,” Newell said.

Board member Eric Greene said that if CKSD gets the $14 million that it shouldn’t automatically funnel the money into capital projects but instead should use the money to enhance education via technology or other programs.

“If all you’re doing is catching up, then in reality you’re falling behind,” Greene said, arguing in favor of technology spending.

Board Vice President Jeanie Schulze disagreed: “But we’ve always said when it comes to Heavy Impact (funding) that those dollars would go to capital projects.”

“By doing this not only are we being mindful of what our schools and our students and our staff needs but I think we’re also being mindful of what our community would expect us to do and that’s put them in a better position of supporting us at the same time. It’s being mindful of our schools but also being mindful of our local community taxpayers and really continuing to strengthen that trust and partnership that we need in order to move our schools forward,” Schulze said.

Superintendent David McVicker’s thinking aligned with Schulze’s. “We’re going out to ask the community for $68 million (for a levy) plus a bond for $220 million … and we get a piece ($14 million in Heavy Impact Aid) that allows us to reduce it somewhat. I think for me the right thing to do is get those ballot measures in line,” McVicker said.

Appealing to Greene’s preference for technology, Newell noted that from a cash flow perspective, the $14 million Heavy Impact Aid would allow him to “pull” the LRFP Phase I from 2017 to 2016, which then could allow other technology plans that are currently in the pipeline to be enacted sooner than planned.

McVicker said that if Congress does not act in CKSD’s favor, then the bond would stay as it was initially planned, at $220 million.