Schools to receive $28.6 million from bonds

OTHELLO — Sixty-seven percent of Othello voters said yes to a $28.6 million Othello School District bonds proposal, according to preliminary ballot counts last night.

"I'm very proud of our community," said bonds committee co-chair Brad Boersma. "They took a really, really hard look at a need and decided it was time to do something about it."

The state is providing matching funds of $35.3 million.

"The opportunity we have with the financing with this state match is a great deal," Board member Stewart Hilmes said.

New classrooms for McFarland Junior High School are on the list of projects, to make way for a traditional middle school system. New classrooms are being added to the elementary schools, including seven classrooms at Scootney Springs Elementary School and four classrooms at the other elementary schools.

Other projects included in the sale are a modernization of McFarland Junior High School and the elementary schools. Othello High School would be reconfigured for additional classroom space, and a multipurpose room would be added.

The estimated collection rate for 2008 is $5.55 per $1,000 of assessed valuation.

District Superintendent George Juarez said he believes members of the community understood the facts when they cast their votes.

"It seems like whoever I talked to had a pretty good idea of what the bond entailed," Juarez said. "That's a credit to this committee in terms of getting out the word and advertising and just being available to people."