After two failures, the South Kitsap school board comes back with an even more massive request than previously by adding on a $50 million “wish list” of improvements and fixes that even Santa Claus would find inconceivable.

What part of the two previous “no” votes didn’t the board get? With the added $50 million, we are now being asked to pay $1.56 per $1,000 of assessed valuation on our homes for the next 21 years. Do your own math as each home owner’s results will be different, but on average, according to their “estimates,” each of us will pay upwards of $400 or more a year in added property taxes.

But it won’t end there. The state Legislature has been legally mandated to fully fund education in our state via the McCleary decision. Every state lawmaker who has spoken out on this subject has said there will HAVE to be a raise in property taxes to fulfill the mandate. How much more, no one is prepared to say at this time.

Also unspoken and unanswered is what will the new school do to our local levies in four years when it’s up and running? The school board says the levy won’t be affected as the money “moves” with the kids to the new school. Do we really think that the current board can run an additional large facility on the same money it gets now? That simply flies in the face of common financial sense.

Chances are excellent that we will see an increase in our operational levy come 2021. Potentially, we could see an addition to our property taxes in excess of $1,000 a year per household when all these factors are added together.

For that reason alone, I will vote “no,” and given all the added financial uncertainty, a “no on the bond” should be your vote as well!

Mike Dalgaard

Port Orchard