Pullman school bond plans

Plans for the Pullman School District’s $53 million bond are moving forward.

According to Dan Hornfeldt, executive director of Support Services and business manager for the district, the bond, which was approved by voters in April, will be paid off over 20 years, with much of the funding used to rebuild Pullman High School.

Beginning next spring, Pullman property owners will pay $3.03 per $1,000 of assessed property value.

The district worked with securities broker D.A. Davidson of Seattle, which has sold the bonds.

“The money has been deposited into our capital projects fund,” said Hornfeldt.

The $53 million is set to be spent on rebuilding 73 percent of Pullman High School along with adding five new classrooms to Franklin Elementary School.

All told, $2 million will go to Franklin Elementary while the rest will be used to tear down and rebuild the majority of the high school.

The voters’ approval of the $53 million bond also brought the Pullman district $14 million in state matching funds.

Construction is set to begin at Franklin Elementary this fall while the high school project will start in the fall of 2014.

“It’s all going along as planned,” said Hornfeldt.

Enrollment in the Pullman School District has increased 138 students since the 2007-08 school year