News

There are three candidates for Renton School Board Director District 3 position on the Aug. 6 ballot. The position is made vacant by the retirement of long-time Renton School Board member Lynn Desmarias.

The three School Board candidates are:

• Stefanie McIrvin
• Jeremy Chambers
• Kristen Deskin

The top two voter-getters in the August election will move on to the General election on Nov. 5, 2019.

Read more about these candidates and links to their websites at the King County Election website. https://info.kingcounty.gov/…/Vote/contests/candidates.aspx…

Thanks to continued voter support of School Construction Bond measures on the ballot, our schools are safer for students and will withstand an earthquake much better than many other schools across the state.

According to a new Washington state analysis by the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) many older schools built before 1975, and those in less repair, may not hold up in an earthquake. Of the 222 school buildings assessed as part of the analysis, most would be unsafe to occupy after a powerful quake, about a quarter would not be able to be repaired, and 43% posed a “high” or “very high” risk for loss of life, according to DNR’s report.

The assessment, which did not include our schools, found that older buildings and those constructed from unreinforced masonry or rigid, under-reinforced concrete were most vulnerable. Engineers assessed each school’s construction and design, considering factors like a structure’s ability to bend before breaking.

Washington state does not require seismic upgrades, nor does the state dedicate funding for retrofits. School districts can only rebuild schools or make much-needed large-scale repairs and improvements when voters approve school construction bond measures. Renton Schools next School Construction Bond measure is on the Nov. 5, 2019 ballot (even with approval, tax-rates for Renton School District taxpayers will continue to decline: read more here).

Thanks to voters throughout Renton School District, our schools are safe, will last for decades, and help improve home values in communities throughout the district.

Elementary and middle school families can again choose to pay a low, one-time fee for school supplies for next school year. The district implemented the program this school year as a way to reduce cost for families and make the school supply process more streamlined and economical. School supplies offered to students were selected based on input from teachers and school staff.

• The district will purchase school supplies for elementary and middle school students, and provide replacements throughout the school year.
  • Families will continue to provide students with backpacks and lunchboxes, along with school planners at middle schools.
  • High school students continue to provide their own school supplies.
• The program is voluntary: families can choose to continue to purchase their own school supplies.
• Families will pay a low, one-time fee of $30 ($10 for families on free/reduced lunch) for a school years' worth of school supplies.

Families can pay by check/cash at their school at the start of the school year, or pay online anytime at 

wa-renton.intouchreceipting.com.

Renton Schools has calendar dates for the 2019-2020 school year. The calendar is not complete; but here are key dates for holidays and breaks.

Download the initial calendar here.

• August 28 First day of school
• September 2 No School - Labor Day
• November 11 No School - Veterans Day
• November 28-29 No School – Thanksgiving Break
• Dec. 23-Jan. 3 No School - Winter Break
• January 20 No School - MLK Jr. Day
• February 17-21 No School - Mid-Winter Break
• April 6-10 No School - Spring Break
• May 25 No School - Memorial Day
• June 17 - Last day of School

Renton School District voters will decide on an important ballot measure to support student learning on the November 5, 2019 ballot. Even with approval of the measure, tax-rates for district property owners will continue to decrease.

Building for Excellence School Building Construction Bond will allow for important projects at nearly every school in the district including construction of a much-needed, additional elementary school in the fast-growing northeastern (Highlands/Sunset/Hazen High) area of the district. It will also provide additional science classrooms at high schools, renovations and upgrades to other schools such as roofs and boilers, safety and security, school playground and athletic fields, and much more. View a school-by-school list of projects.

Voters overwhelmingly approved this measure on the Feb. 12, 2019 ballot; but an additional 400 votes were needed to validate the measure. With the obvious support of voters, Renton School Board members are providing an opportunity for more voters to vote to approve the measure and will place the measure back on the Nov. 5, 2019 ballot.

What will the measure cost?

Because of improved assessed property value and the many additional families and businesses that have moved into the

district, these measures will not increase tax-rates, and district tax-rates will continue to decline. Renton School District tax-rates have been steadily declining over the past few years.

Even with approval of this measure, the combined total district tax-rate will drop to $3.38/per $1,000 of assessed value in 2020; that’s down from the current tax rate of $3.52/per $1,000 of assessed value; that’s a savings of $56 per year in 2020 for the owner of a median-priced house of $400,000. Tax-rates will continue to decrease in 2021 and 2022: down from $3.38 to $2.95 (an additional savings of $172/per year for tax-payers).