The Richland School Board voted unanimously Tuesday to send a $94 million bond to voters on the Feb. 9 special election ballot, making it the district's second attempt in two years to win voter support for school upgrades after a far larger package failed at the polls.
The measure would fund a modernization of Chief Joseph Middle School, replace aging infrastructure at River's Edge High School, and pay for security upgrades across the district, according to reporting by the Tri-City Herald, syndicated on Yahoo News.
It's a scaled-down follow-up to a $314 million bond that Richland voters rejected in November 2024. That measure, which would have built a third comprehensive high school in West Richland along with upgrades to River's Edge and Hanford High, needed 60% approval under state law and got nowhere close — 13,129 votes in favor against 15,604 opposed, in a district of roughly 54,000 registered voters, according to the Tri-City Herald's coverage of that election.
Why the smaller ask
After that defeat, the district convened a volunteer community facilities task force that spent about six months reviewing building needs and surveying voters before recommending a leaner package, the Herald reported. Slower-than-expected enrollment growth had already removed the urgency for new school construction the district once anticipated, according to AppleValleyNewsNow's coverage of the task force's findings.
Even the task force's own number shrank before it reached the board. An earlier proposal floated in September priced the project list near $103 million, with an estimated tax impact of 17 cents per $1,000 of assessed value, or about $85 a year on a $500,000 home, according to Tri-Cities Business News. The board ultimately approved $94 million at 10 cents per $1,000, or roughly $40 a year on a $400,000 home.
"The survey confirmed our priorities, and when it told us to sharpen the pencil, we did," said Parkhill, in comments reported by Tri-Cities Business News tied to the task force's survey findings.
Board Vice President Jill Oldson framed the lower figure as a deliberate choice. "The whole goal and objective of this is to make sure that we are only asking the community for what we absolutely need," she said, according to the Herald. Board member Rick Jansons added, "I am confident that we are going to the community with what is needed in the district."
What the money would fix
Chief Joseph Middle School, at 504 Wilson St., opened in 1951 and hasn't had a major renovation in more than 30 years. The task force identified it as the district's most urgent facility need; its last significant capital project was a bond-funded HVAC replacement in 2013, according to Tri-Cities Business News and the district's own bond history page.
At River's Edge High School, 975 Gillespie St., the bond would replace portable classrooms installed around 2001 that have long outlived their intended lifespan. The package also covers roof and heating/cooling work at several other district buildings.
A tougher bar than a levy
Unlike operating levies, which need only a simple majority, bonds in Washington require at least 60% voter approval, the same threshold that sank the 2024 measure. Richland's last successful bond was in February 2017, a $99 million package that also unlocked about $42 million in state matching funds, per the district's bond records.
Ballots for the Feb. 9, 2026 special election are expected to mail in January. Residents with questions about registration deadlines or ballot drop-off locations should contact the Benton County Auditor's office. The district's full project-by-project budget breakdown and the board's final resolution had not been posted to its website as of this report.
