In a sign of distrust, voters reject two-out-of-three local school bond proposals

In the latest sign of declining public confidence in the education system, voters in February turned down two-thirds of proposed local school bond measures, rejecting 14 out of 21 proposals.

The failed bonds range from $34 million in the Hood Canal School District to $242 million in the North Kitsap School District.

School construction bonds impose long term debt on homeowners for 25 to 30 years. The bonds are structures as public debt, so brokers add millions of dollars in interest and fees to the amount that would be spent on schools.

For example, the Hood Canal school bond of $34 million wo...