PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles School Board has authorized the sale of $30 million in bonds in May, the first of two rounds of sales that will finance construction of the new Port Angeles High School and Franklin Elementary School.
Lee Marchisio of Foster Garvey, the district’s bond counsel, presented the resolution to the board on Thursday.
Voters last November approved by 63 percent an initiative to support a 20-year, $140 million bond to replace the schools and improve overall safety in the district.
Superintendent Marty Brewer said splitting the bond into two sales is based on market conditions and construction costs.
“The $30 million in May will give us the dollars to start the testing of the sites, to hire architectural firms and engineers to work the next 18 months to develop the concept for Port Angeles High School and Franklin Elementary School,” he said.
The district plans to issue the remaining bonds in December 2026.
“We didn’t want to take the loan, so to speak, in one lump sum because we’d be sitting on those dollars as we’re doing the work to get ready to build,” Brewer said.
The bond replaced the capital levy voters passed in 2020 to finance construction of a new Stevens Middle School. Unlike a construction bond, all of the funds from a capital levy must be collected before construction can begin. That’s why it has taken until now for work on Stevens to move forward.
“This is a really positive step for our district,” Brewer said. “We didn’t anticipate starting the construction project early. We anticipated starting it in the fall of 2025. So, we need dollars to start paying contractors.”
Starting three or four months early also will save the district money, he said.
A groundbreaking ceremony at Stevens is scheduled for 10 a.m. April 12, and construction will commence in May.
The board unanimously approved increasing the district’s 2024-2025 capital expenditures from $5.5 million to $11.5 million for a total of $17 million to take into account the earlier start to construction. These were funds the district had available, but board approval was needed for the extension.
“Typically, budget extensions are a bad thing for a school district because you don’t want to overspend your budget,” Brewer said. “But in this case, it’s money we’ve been collecting for this very purpose.”
A budget extension hearing held at the start of the meeting drew no public comment.
The board also approved the 2025-2026 district calendar. It can be found at tinyurl.com/36etsjvr.
Meanwhile, the district hired Rhonda Kromm, Jefferson Elementary School principal and acting director of special services, as the district’s assistant superintendent. She will replace Michelle Olsen, whom the board announced as the new superintendent on March 6.
Olsen will replace Brewer, whose last day is Aug. 31. The board approved Olsen’s three-year contract that will pay her $220,000 annually and includes a $500 monthly vehicle stipend.
Also, Principal Mace Gratz announced students of the month for Seaview Academy, the district’s online public school which offers classes for grades K-12: Grace Boyd-Harrison (12th grade), Isabella Grimes (seventh grade) and Bentley Mounts (fifth grade).
Board members Sarah Methner, Mary Hebert and Kirsten Williams were in attendance; Sandy Long and Stan Williams had excused absences.
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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.
