MEETING No. 1 

The Bond Planning Task Force process kicked-off with an overview of the entire process, with an orientation to the tools and a capital projects history of past bonds and levies.  The first meeting was held virtually with online collaboration tools to engage the task force members.  Interactive introductions were made for all attendees along with their individual experiences in facilities across the District.  The meeting wrapped up with the development of a group charter with norms to clarify expectations and for holding one another accountable to the process. 

MEETING No. 2 

Deeper introductions kicked off Meeting No. 2 with each member identifying their “Why”, these insights helped members understand the motivation for each member participating in the process.  The deep dive into data took the balance of the meeting.  The committee was introduced to the building condition scores for all facilities, using the District’s annual building condition assessments.  Second, the metrics on enrollment vs. capacity were presented to provide capacity needs.  Lastly, the functional performance scores for all facilities were reviewed.  Functional performance represents how each facility stacks up against the current educational program, specifically the shortcomings of older facilities when compared to the new school designs and offerings. 

MEETING No. 3 

Moving into a hybrid meeting model with participants both in-person and virtual, Meeting No. 3 was the first of two meetings with departmental leaders presenting their current state and aspirational future states.  The meeting was held at Kent-Meridian High School with participants getting a glimpse into the state of KMHS, originally built in 1951.  With Equity being a district-wide initiative, the first presentation was with Simone Hamilton, Director of Equity,& Strategic Engagement.  Next, we heard from Joelle Bejarano, Assistant Director of Strategic Initiatives with her presentation on Organizational Effectiveness, focusing on technology integration.  Following technology, Cheri Simpson, Assistant Director of Student Services presented Student & Family Support Services.  This program supports social-emotional and health services across the district.  Wrapping up the meeting, we heard from Brian Smith, Director of Athletics, Activities & Facility Use.  The presentation focused highlighted the athletic facilities for all grade levels. 

MEETING No. 4 

Continuing with departmental presentations, Meeting No. 4 started off with a presentation from Jon Robinson, Interim Executive Director of Inclusive Education.  His overview highlighted the state of special education across the district.  Cynthia Green, Executive Director of Elementary Teaching and Learning presented next.  Cynthia gave an overview of early learning offerings and needs for the District.  Tim Kovich, Assistant Director of Safety Services followed with a presentation on Safety & Security, including alarm systems, access controls and security camera systems.  Wrapping up the presentations, we heard from Wade Barringer, Associate Superintendent of Strategic Initiatives & Operations.  Dr. Barringer covered community services, highlighting the diversity and community partnerships for the Kent School District.  Meeting No. 4 was held at the old Sequoia Middle School, home to the Kent Phoenix Academy originally built in 1966.  The meeting wrapped up with a small group exercise to being prioritizing departmental needs across the District.  

MEETING No. 5 

Meeting No. 5 was held at the new River Ridge Elementary School.  Both in-person and virtual attendees were able to have a video supported tour of the new facility.  This was the first opportunity for most to see the planned amenities of KSD’s newest elementary school.  For this meeting, several students were invited to attend, and the committee was able to hear their impression of how the new school compared to the facilities that they attended.  Following the tour, Mark Prussing, Executive Director of the Educational Service District (ESD) 112, presented the financial potential for the District.  His overview covered the debt capacity and tax rate implications for a future bond.  Facilitator Stephen Murakami then presented the current construction cost models.  Attendees were given insights into basic construction funding philosophies and current construction cost models, including trends on inflation and cost escalation. 

MEETING No. 6 

Continuing with the hybrid model, Meeting No. 6 was held at Fairwood Elementary School.  The meeting started off with a tour of the 1968 facility.  Meeting No. 6 started with a recap of the process to date and a group activity to develop the guiding principles that the task force will follow to assist in the prioritization of proposed projects.  The members were then presented with tiered priority cost models with a focus on Student Health & Safety, Facility Improvements, Outdoor Learning and District Program Growth (as identified at the end of meeting No. 4).  Behind the scenes, departmental leads worked with consultants to develop cost estimates for project scopes identified in meetings No. 3 and 4.  Proposed scopes were presented to the task force in tiered priority models with associated costs.  The task force members worked in small groups to build scenario models for a proposed $350 million, $420 million and a $490 million bond measure.  Five small group scenario models were collected with the goal to synthesize and build consensus in Task Force Meeting No. 7.