Auburn School District voters in Auburn, Washington, are deciding a school construction bond for the third fall in a row. Proposition 1 on the Nov. 3 ballot would raise $491 million over 20 years to build three schools, the Auburn Reporter reported. Ballots are already in the mail.
The estimated tax rate is $1.10 per $1,000 of assessed property value.
Three school buildings
- A fifth middle school. The 134,000-square-feet building would include a gym, field house, library, courtyard and athletic fields, south of Lake Tapps Parkway S.E. and Sumner-Tapps Highway East. It would hold an additional 1,050 students and open in September 2028 if the bond passes.
- A new Cascade Middle School. The 59-year-old building on 24th Street N.E. would be replaced by a two-story school on district land at I St. NE and 40th St. NE, about a mile away. The old building would serve as the interim school while Alpac is rebuilt.
- A new Alpac Elementary. The 54-year-old school on Milwaukee Boulevard N. would be rebuilt on its current site.
The crowding argument
The district says more than 1,100 middle school students attended classes in 43 portables this school year, with two more portables coming next year. The Reporter, citing a district fact sheet, counts 45 portables outside the middle schools now.
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Supporters with Auburn Citizens for Schools point to ceiling leaks, a flooding playground and a classroom in a closet at Alpac, which they call the district's "most urgent need."
The cost argument
Not everyone is sold. Eric Petersen, a Pacific resident who has worked in construction for 36 years, building roads, infrastructure and a few schools, wrote the opposition statement in the voters' pamphlet. Comparing the price to Tacoma School District projects, he argues the district is asking for more than it needs. "The math isn't mathing," Petersen told the Reporter. He also worries higher property taxes will strain people on fixed incomes.
Third try at 60%
School bonds in Washington need a 60% supermajority. The district says the package got 55 percent in November 2024 and 54% in November 2025. The district sits in both King County and Pierce County, so results will come in from both counties after Nov. 3.
If it passes, the bond would put two new middle schools and an elementary rebuild in the pipeline at once, with the first openings planned for September 2028.
Sources
- Election 2026: Auburn School District bond on the ballot, Auburn Reporter
- Auburn School District school bond proposition on November ballot, Auburn School District
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