CFAC Plans to Finalize Bond Recommendation March 30

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CFAC Meeting Summary, March 9, 2026 

Highline’s community-led bond planning committee is close to a bond package recommendation and anticipates finalizing the recommendation at a meeting on March 30. The committee will present their recommendation to the school board later this spring. 

Committee Aligns on Baseline Bond Projects 

Members of the Capital Facilities Advisory Committee (CFAC) are aligned on replacing Cascade Middle School at the Salmon Creek Site, Sylvester Middle School at its existing site, and rebuilding the Southern Heights Site as a new home for CHOICE Academy, the Realistic Transitions Program (RTP) and Career Based Services (CBS). CFAC's recommendation also calls for $50 million to address critical facilities needs districtwide. These baseline bond projects would total approximately $450 million. 

CFAC Considers Additional Project 

CFAC is leaning toward adding one additional construction project from the three other schools under consideration. The small work groups on March 9 were split between the replacement of Valley View Early Learning Center, the modernization/partial rebuild of Hilltop Elementary School, or the modernization/partial rebuild of Chinook Middle School.  

In some cases, modernizing and partially rebuilding a school can save taxpayer dollars by retaining newer buildings or portions of a school, and extending the life of the facility with new walls, fixtures, finishes, HVAC, roofing, and extensive remodeling.  

CFAC is considering the costs, benefits and risks of asking voters and taxpayers to invest more now to avoid the cost escalation of allowing aging facilities to wait for another bond cycle in six or more years, followed by about two years of design. 

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Meeting Materials 

• Agenda & Slides 
• Potential Bond 2026 Project Snapshots
• Video Recording of March 9 CFAC Meeting 
  • Welcome & Agenda 
  • Updates & Information — 07:58, slides 5-15
  • Areas of Alignment — 34:13, slides 16-19
  • Review ThoughtExchange & Community Feedback — 37:38, slides 20-25
  • Poll: Check for Consensus on Bond Amount — 1:01:26
  • Small Groups: Compare & Reconcile Differences — 1:05:30
  • Report Out, Discussion & Decision to Meet March 30 — 1:14:16
• ThoughtExchange interactive web reports 
  • Bond Planning Priorities – districtwide 
  • Cascade at the Salmon Creek Site 
  • Big Picture at Southern Heights 
  • CHOICE Academy/RTP/CBS at Southern Heights 

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Updates

Budget Reductions & Possible Capital Technology Levy  

Chief Financial Officer Jackie Bryan provided an overview of Highline's $8 million operating budget reduction for the 2026-27 year. She explained the causes—including state underfunding, inflation, and lack of legislative action—and shared that reductions include eliminating 31.5 central office positions. 

The school board is also considering a capital technology levy for the November 2026 ballot. This could generate $12 million per year for four years. The tech levy would fund student and staff devices, cybersecurity, and small facilities projects related to technology.  

School districts across Washington are relying on local funding to maintain core technology systems because state funding does not fully support them. Highline voters previously approved a two-year tech levy in November 2020.

Tax Rate Projections 

CFAC members received tax rate projections for various bond amounts ($450, $550, and $650 million). The tax rate information included the combined tax rate projected for the bond, along with the proposed tech levy and the existing operating levy.  

Critical Needs Funding 

Staff provided examples of smaller facility updates that are part of the $50 million proposed to replenish funding for critical facility needs. Projects include roofing replacement, mechanical updates, nutrition services equipment updates, and ADA accessibility improvements at Highline Memorial Field. 

Costs for Potential Design-only Projects 

The costs for architects to provide initial design work in the next bond package were provided to CFAC members for Chinook Middle School ($2.6 million), Hilltop Elementary School ($1.4 million), and Valley View Early Learning Center ($1.2 million). 

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Community Feedback

Prior to the meeting, CFAC members received the results of a series of ThoughtExchange questions. They collected districtwide feedback on bond priorities and asked school communities for questions or concerns about potential relocation projects.

Bond Planning Priorities  

Chief Communications Officer Tove Tupper summarized the results of ThoughtExchange input from the community. A districtwide ThoughtExchange gathered feedback on bond planning factors and priorities. The top priorities identified were Health, Safety & Security, Building Condition & Infrastructure Needs, and Equity & Student Impact.

School Relocation Feedback & Next Steps

Tove also summarized discussions and work being done to address community concerns related to the proposed Southern Heights and Salmon Creek projects based on additional ThoughtExchanges and outreach to school communities. Here is an overview:   

Southern Heights Project – Recommendations

• Staff recommend that Big Picture not be included in the Southern Heights project due to programmatic and internship transportation concerns. Instead, Big Picture staff would prefer to remain in their current building for the next few years while other long-term options are explored that better support the program’s needs.
     
• Staff recommended moving forward with rebuilding Southern Heights for CHOICE Academy, RTP and CBS. Without Big Picture, this project is estimated to cost $40 million rather than $50 million. Woodside Site, where CHOICE Academy, RTP and CBS is located, has the lowest building condition rating in Highline. Moving forward with this plan would allow students and staff to transition into a new and remodeled facility as soon as fall 2028. Staff are committed to addressing remaining concerns about transportation related to CHOICE Academy, RTP and CBS. 

Cascade at Salmon Creek Project – Next Steps 

Cascade Middle School families, staff and students expressed unified support for rebuilding at the Salmon Creek Site for a variety of reasons, including no disruption during construction. Pros and cons were noted for staying adjacent to the high school, but not as a dealbreaker for moving off the existing campus. The ThoughtExchange feedback provided a valuable list of concerns to address.  

The biggest concern, from a group of neighbors and community members, centered on the following issues:  

• Clearly, no one wants to lose the Shark Garden from our community. Highline staff are committed to helping the community garden, currently at the Salmon Creek site, to locate a new home.
  • Two ideas that will be explored with the garden’s executive director are the Original Beverly Park site (now home to Innovation Heights Academy and Highline Virtual Academy), or the existing Cascade Middle School site following demolition.    
     
• Salmon Creek neighbors would like more information about this change and what it means for them to have a comprehensive middle school as their neighbor.
  • Highline Public Schools has many schools in residential neighborhoods and aims to be a good neighbor while serving Highline students.
  • Highline conducts comprehensive traffic studies as part of the school design process, which could result in neighborhood improvements like sidewalks. The design process takes place after a bond package is approved.
     
• Some confusion about the size of the existing and proposed Cascade sites stems from project snapshots that list the existing Cascade site as 19 acres. However, that figure reflects the total parcel acreage of an Evergreen/Cascade parcel, which extends south to SW 116th Street.
  • The portion of the Cascade corner of the parcel that is usable for development is 6.15 acres, before accounting for setbacks, wetland buffers, stormwater facilities, fire access lanes, and other regulatory constraints that could further reduce the buildable footprint.
  • The Salmon Creek site consists of approximately 6.65 acres total across four separate parcels, before accounting for setbacks, wetland buffers, stormwater facilities, fire access lanes, and other regulatory constraints. 

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Refining Bond Ideas in Small Groups 

During the March 9 CFAC meeting, committee members worked in three groups with staff facilitators. Each small group was charged with drafting a bond package that included funding for Sylvester, Cascade at Salmon Creek, Southern Heights, and Critical Needs.  

Two of the groups drafted bond packages under $550 million. One group put forward a $615.4 million bond package. 

Groups identified strengths and risks of their bond packages, from addressing critical needs districtwide and avoiding escalated costs in the future versus the risk of taxpayer fatigue. They discussed the pros and cons of addressing all comprehensive middle schools in this bond package. 

Members decided they needed more time to discuss the pros and cons of whether to include the proposed Chinook, Hilltop or Valley View projects.  

CFAC members agreed to use their back-up meeting date of March 30 to finish discussing which of the remaining projects, beyond the baseline package, to include in their final bond package recommendation and total cost. 

Next Meeting 

CFAC will meet again on Monday, March 30, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at Puget Sound Skills Center in the Health Sciences Building, 18010 8th Avenue South in Burien. The public is welcome to observe. This meeting location does not accommodate a live link to view, but we are investigating if we can record it.