Frequently Asked Questions

The board has looked at several options, including cutting off a project and postponing running the bond until November or even a year from now, in February 2024. Delaying this package to November or later adds significant costs to the project by an estimated additional $15 million or more.

The great news is that running the same bond package in April will be less expensive than we previously estimated. Interest rates for school bonds have dropped recently and our developers are reporting slower home development, resulting in a 1 to 2 year delay in building projects, which in turn delays future bond needs. Our new estimate is that this bond will cost $2.49/$1,000 in assessed valuation (from the February projection of $2.84). This bond does replace the 2006 bond that was paid in full in December 2022 which does lower property taxes in 2023. If approved, the 2023 bond tax will take effect in 2024.

The reality is that if the bond does not pass, we would need to consider portables in parking lots and on playgrounds. Class sizes will eventually increase when we run out of space. Traffic and parking only get worse. Practice schedules run later into the evening. We cannot grow our programs or prepare our kids for a future they deserve in inadequate facilities. We would likely have to close the stadium to school use only as the condition of the turf is poor and well past its useful life. 

You can watch the School Board pass the resolution on our YouTube channel, click here.

You can watch the February 16 Regular School Board meeting where the Board of Directors reviewed different options for bond projects. Click here to view.

Safety, security, traffic, overcrowding, and facilities that prepare students for local jobs are on many families' minds. Without improvements, these issues compound over time. Three of four schools are significantly overcrowded today, as we have grown since the 1960s or 1980s when our schools were built. Many of these issues will not be able to be addressed without a bond. We have no more room to grow at OPS or OHS.  Portables will move to parking lots and playgrounds, creating further parking and traffic congestion. As food service needs grow, PE at PTR may have to completely move to outside or lunch service will happen much earlier and later to accommodate the growing student body.  

The Board of Directors and the Citizens Facility Advisory Committee spent over a year in vetting the most critical needs of the District and this bond represents the most important and urgent needs. If the bond does not pass, this will add at least $15 million more to the project costs and delay potential completion by a year or more as the earliest we could run a bond again would be February 2024. 

Renovation of older buildings is expensive and often results in unforeseen costs. 

New facilities offer modern safety features, such as limited entry points. 

New school buildings offer access to built-in technology and state-of-the-art learning spaces for science, the arts, and career and technical education. They offer comfortable and efficient heating, cooling and lighting systems and the opportunity to install new plumbing and foundations. 

Most of our schools and renovations were done before the 2000s. 

3 of our 4 schools are over capacity: Orting Primary School, Ptarmigan Ridge Elementary and Orting High School. Each of these schools are on the Orting School District's 2023 Bond package.

Orting Primary School will be rebuilt on vacant land purchased at 510 and 710 Washington Avenue, along the north edge of the Orting High School campus. The new school will house 600-700 students.With a safer facility and lighter and brighter classrooms, we can ensure our learning spaces accommodate the type of technology, flexible use and collaboration that will set us up for future success.  

Ptarmigan Ridge Elementary will have overcrowding concerns addressed by adding 8 additional classrooms, food service space and a new gym. Additionally, we envision playground improvements to add space and drainage and improvements to our parking and ingress/egress. Our Board of Directors are adament that we have parity in our elementary schools. As such, there will be updates to safety/security, technology, furniture, new carpet and some fresh coats of paint so this facility looks and feels new and sets us up for future growth.  

Included in the 2023 bond is the first phase of a new Orting High School. As they share the same campus as Orting Primary School currently, this bond will result in the high school having the entirety of that campus after 2026. This will add much needed room to grow and allow for parking and other infrastructure to be constructed. The first phase will add permanent capacity for about 250 students and include science, technology and maker space that will significantly enhance our Career and Technical Education offerings. We will also add a new gymnasium space that replaces our main gym built in 1978 and our wrestling room built in 1955. As future growth occurs, additional phases will be added to put all of our students together under one roof in a more secure campus. 

Washington State has matching funds for school construction projects. If voters approve this $150 million bond, the state is estimated to contribute an additional $11 million. This amount is known as state match. There is a formula that calculates the amount of matching funds. The vast majority of construction costs are borne by the local tax payer.  

Districts may also receive impact fees which can be used to offset the costs of new construction or provide for temporary facilities when growth occurs. In the most recent Capital Facilities Plan, the District estimated the cost of construction to be over $47,000 per new student. Currently, the Pierce County Ordinance limits the impact fee to just over $4,200. While this does help offset the cost to the local taxpayer, the vast majority of the cost of construction falls on the local tax payer. Our Board of Directors believes strongly that growth should help to pay for a greater share of the cost. They continue to advocate for an increase in impact fees to lessen the burden on local taxpayers.

Orting School District ranked at the bottom of the overall tax rate in 2022 at $1.95/$1,000 in assessed valuation.  School bonds and school levies are just a part of the overall tax rate. The legislature is able to increase property tax without voter approval. If the bond measure is approved, we estimate the local school portion of property tax will be $4.20/$1,000 in assessed valuation in 2024. The bond is estimated to be $2.49/$1,000, which for the owner of a $475,000 home equates to $98/month.  

A new elementary site would mean much more space for pick up and drop off. Currently, we have cars, buses, and students converging at the same crosswalk. After a few cars or a couple of buses, we back up traffic either on campus or the highway. This bond will add road and traffic improvements at Ptarmigan Ridge, Orting High School and the new elementary site. Once OPS moves to the new location, all of the parking becomes high school parking, which will positively impact local neighborhoods and businesses. Over time, the high school campus will be redesigned to have separate bus and vehicle traffic from pedestrians, dramatically improving safety.

At the February 16 Regular Board meeting, it was presented to the Board to cut off a bond project and what effects that would have on tax payers, our schools, staff and students.

This bond package was based on a current need and forecast enrollment growth. The Board reviewed removing the Ptarmigan Ridge Elementary project, which is $23 million off the package price. This would drop the cost estimate by 21 cents. It would save the average home owner $8.30 a month. The Board of Directors did not feel like this change would likely sway people to vote in favor of the bond. 

What does Ptarmigan Ridge Elementary look like if the Board did decided to remove that project? Between 2028 and 2030, we are forecasted to have between 1,600 and 2,000 students. The Ptarmigan Ridge Elementary School was built in the early 2000s for 460 students, and currently we have 660 students attending. We would have 1,200 more students attending the school, putting us at 300 percent over permanent capacity by the end of the decade. 

You can watch the February 16 Regular Board meeting where the Board of Directors reviewed bond options. Click here to view.

School boundaries have been in place for 100 years or more. When they were set long ago, they likely could not foresee the development and growth that would come over time. Most concerns about growth lie in traffic and costs associated with growth. However, there are some benefits. Growth can help to increase the tax base, provide jobs, lower costs and improve local access to resources.  

School Districts cannot cede land to neighboring districts or refuse to accept new development. We do provide input to city and county planners about potential school impacts. Districts can engage in a mutual discussion about boundary changes, but it taxes time and a willingness on both parties to do so.  

In our case, we are working in partnership with local developers to provide land and resources outside of the city of Orting for future development. In our long-term planning through 2035, we anticipate that 1 or 2 elementary schools and 1 middle school will need to be constructed. The anticipated growth will likely double the tax District base by 2030 and help to provide necessary improvements to education facilities.

The average lifespan for a turf field or track is 8-10 years. Over time and with consistent use, the turf fibers become damaged and the track surface wears. This becomes a safety issue as either the field will not hold enough pellets to cushion against falls or track imperfections create trip hazards.  In that state, the district may need to close to outside use if a safety risk is prevalent.  

We are at the 15 year mark for both the track and turf surfaces. This bond would replace both and add additional lights, improving visibility and use. Additionally, this bond adds a gymnasium at PTR, a gymnasium at the new elementary, adds a turf field at the new elementary and an auxiliary and main gym at OHS. This improves both safety and access for youth sports and activities and keeps families from traveling greater distances for youth sports.

In early 2021, the Orting School District engaged with a project team called the Citizens Facilities Advisory Committee (CFAC) to address facility priorities and develop a Bond Plan that would be presented to the community in 2023. The CFAC recommended the district to purchase property for future expansion within the City of Orting. In early 2022, Orting School District purchased vacant land at 510 and 710 Washington Avenue along the north edge of the Orting High School Campus.

In summer and fall 2022, further recommendations by the CFAC committee included a new Orting Elementary School. Given increased enrollment and aging facilities, the board authorized a preliminary design to engage with an Elementary School Committee. The Committee included current teachers, administrators and parents. Click here to learn more about CFAC, see presentations and streamed meetings.

This bond replaces the previous bond passed in 2006 that built Orting Middle School and the Orting High School PAC. This bond expired and was paid in full in December 2022, which lowers property taxes in 2023.

Bonds require a 60 percent supermajority approval to pass, which is 60% of the total cast. For a bond to pass, the election must also be validated, meaning voter turnout must be equal to 40% of the voters who cast ballots in the last general election. Levies require a simple majority of 50% to pass.

Property taxes are estimated at a 'rate per $1,000' of assessed value. This means in 2023, the owner of a home assessed at $475,000 paying a combined tax rate of $2.49 is estimated to pay $1,182 per year or $98 more per month.

The equation for finding the impact on your homes' assessed valuation is home valuation divided by 1,000 x 2.49=yearly cost. Divided that answer by 12 months for the monthly cost.

The superintendent and Board of Directors work with Owners Consultants and architects to monitor the budgeting for this project. For more information, please contact Marci Bannan, Director of Business Services.

Permanent capacity is our building space inside schools. Our total capacity as a district includes our buildings and portables. Right now, Orting Primary School is 87 percent over permanent capacity, meaning 251 students are in portables instead of in the building. Exceeding permanent capacity creates many challenges, including inadequate restrooms, parking, traffic, health room, cafeteria, and gymnasium space. 

We are anticipating the bond be paid over the course of 21 years. 

Renovation of older buildings is expensive and often results in unforeseen costs. 

New facilities offer modern safety features, such as limited entry points. 

New school buildings offer access to built-in technology and state-of-the-art learning spaces for science, the arts, and career and technical education. They offer comfortable and efficient heating, cooling and lighting systems and the opportunity to install new plumbing and foundations. 

Most of our schools and renovations were done before the 2000s. 

Orting High School Wrestling Room - Built in 1955

Orting Primary School - Built in 1968

Orting High School Gym - Built in 1977

Orting Primary School Addition - Built in 1978

Orting High School Main Building - Built in 1986

Ptarmigan Ridge Elementary School - Built in 2000

Orting Middle School - Built in 2008

Orting High School PAC Addition - Built in 2009