Lake Washington School District Refinances Bonds: Taxpayers Save $18.6 Million 

On April 30, 2020, Lake Washington School District (LWSD) sold a total of $118.85 million of tax-exempt refunding bonds, which will refinance $134 million of its existing debt, to take advantage of lower market interest rates. The refinancing will save the District’s taxpayers more than $18.6 million over the next nine years. 

The bonds will refund $14 million of the District’s Unlimited Tax General Obligation (UTGO) Bonds, 2009, $110.0 million of the District’s UTGO Bonds, 2010A, and $10 million of the District’s UTGO Bonds, 2010B. 

D.A. Davidson & Co. in Seattle is serving as bond underwriter for the refunding bond issue, and Northwest Municipal Advisors is serving as financial advisor. The District has been monitoring bond market conditions over the past two years, and recent low interest rates allowed the District to exceed its savings target.  Interest rates averaged 1.75% on the new bonds compared to 5.05% on the old debt.  

Dr. Jane Stavem, Superintendent, said, “One of our strategic goals is the effective use of resources, including fiscal responsibility. Opportunities like this allow us to save taxpayer dollars while still continuing the critical expansion work of our growing district.” 

Read more about how LWSD saved taxpayers $18.6 million.

 

May 22 is now a regular remote-learning school day

May 22 was previously scheduled to be a non-student LEAP Day for staff. Because of the changes to remote learning, LWSD will now have a regular remote-learning day on May 22. May 25 is still a scheduled holiday: Memorial Day. 

 

Reminder: Are you a Lake Washington School District parent/guardian or staff member who wants to receive announcements from LWSD by text message? 

If so, text the letter “Y” to the number 67587. If your phone number is already on file at your child’s school, or in Skyward for staff members, this text will confirm that you want to receive text messages on your cell phone. LWSD cannot text you important updates unless you have confirmed that you want to receive these messages. If you aren’t sure what phone numbers are on file, visit your Skyward Family Access account, then go to “Skylert” to see the list of phone numbers and email addresses we use to contact you.

You should receive the following message back:

You’re registered 4 SchoolMessenger notifications. Reply STOP to cancel, HELP for help. Msg&data rates may apply. Msg freq varies. 

 

Reminder: New student online registration

Families may now register one or more of their new students online using Skyward, the district’s student information system. To do so, you will need a login (username) and password. 

Skyward Login and Password

• If you have a student currently attending the Lake Washington School District this school year, or if your student is returning to the district from a prior enrollment, use your Skyward Family Access login and password to register new students from your own family. If you do not know your login and password, simply click on the Forgot your Login/Password link on the Skyward Family Access login page.
• If you are new to the district, click here to request a login and password.
• Visit our Frequently Asked Questions page for more information

Please note, this is only for new students to the district. Current students don’t need to go through this process. Visit the district website for more information. 

 

Reminder: Students should restart laptops to re-connect to district resources 

The Technology Team has been working to expand remote access capacity for staff and students. During this work an issue arose that broke connectivity for some devices. Working internally with Microsoft, we identified the complicated root cause on the morning of Tuesday, March 31, and applied a fix at 11:00am. Devices simply need to be restarted and should then be able to connect to the District once again. If after a restart your device still experiences an issue, please contact us for support. Families can contact ftaccess@lwsd.org. Staff should contact helpdesk@lwsd.org.

 

Reminder: Fill out your Census forms today! 

The #2020Census is an opportunity to bring vital resources into our community for the next 10 years. Things like funding for schools, Medicaid, support for hospitals, and emergency funding. Your response today will help us be more prepared in the future.

Please complete your form online, by phone, or by mail using your invitation to respond. Visit my2020census.gov to begin.  

 

Building on Success is Lake Washington School District's long-term plan to reduce overcrowding, accommodate growing enrollment and continue to provide quality learning environments and experiences for our students.

New schools awarded PSE grants of $261,978 for energy efficiency 

Energy-efficient design saves money in the long run. To implement energy-efficient features into its 2016 bond construction projects, Lake Washington School District (LWSD) applied for grants from Puget Sound Energy (PSE). The projects received grants that totaled $261,978. 

The PSE commercial new construction grants recognize energy-saving features such as ground-source heating, high-efficiency boilers, extra insulation, efficient windows and LED lighting. LWSD’s new construction projects have performed about 15-20 percent more efficiently than Washington state’s energy code requires. Washington has some of the most stringent requirements in the United States. 

 

Facility Advisory Committee hears community voice on future projects

The Facility Advisory Committee has been meeting since November in order to develop recommendations to accommodate the district’s rapid enrollment growth and continue to provide quality learning environments. As part of the process, at the beginning of February, the FAC solicited feedback from the community through a Thoughtexchange survey. 

FAC used Thoughtexchange to gather community input around this question: What are the most important perspectives to consider as we plan for future facilities to accommodate growth in our district?

Thank you to the 1,259 participants who shared 1,421 thoughts and gave 42,854 ratings to the thoughts shared! We invite everyone to explore the feedback. 

The FAC shared and discussed this community feedback at their February 27 meeting. The input gathered in this exchange will be considered as the committee continues to develop their recommendations to accommodate the district’s rapid enrollment growth and continue to provide quality learning environments. The Superintendent and School Board will consider these recommendations as it plans for future ballot measures to fund construction.

Learn more about the FAC’s work here.

 

We’re hiring!

LWSD needs paraeducators, instructional assistants, bus drivers, mechanics, custodians, plumbers and electricians. Job descriptions are available on the district website, under "Employment" then "Classified Employees." Please share this information with your friends and neighbors. 

 

Pantry Packs and more available for students during school closure

In addition to free breakfasts and lunches available to all kids 1-18 and weekend Pantry Packs, school staff members, families and PTSAs are helping out during the COVID-19 pandemic by donating food and funds to helup a Pantry Pack on Fridays at one of the Grab & Go middle school drop-off locations. If possible, please fill out the order form from 2 p.m. Thursdays to 8 a.m. Fridays to ensure availability. Read about Pantry Packs and more on our district website.
 

 

Earth Day 2020

The 50th anniversary of Earth Day will be different than most. Schools won’t be doing their usual Earth Day activities this year. But many schools have been working to achieve or maintain their King County Green Schools status throughout the year. Read more about some of their activities from earlier in the year. 

 

We’re in this together! Calling all LWSD students! We’re asking student artists to color in our “We are in this together” coloring sheet. Then, take a picture of yourself holding the sheet when you are done, and post to the LWSD Facebook page to share with the rest of our community!

Here's a link to the coloring page.

 

This newsletter is just one way to stay in touch with what is happening in the district. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for up-to-date news and information.