One of the most contentious issues in the past year in Kirkland has been how to replace the pool at Juanita High School (JHS). But the Lake Washington School District has a solution – don’t get rid of it or the field house.

A $398 million bond would not only rebuild and enlarge JHS, among other projects, but also preserve the fieldhouse and pool on site “as is,” according to district plans.

If passed by voters, the proposed bond would not raise taxes from current levels, as it would replace an expiring bond.

The current bond contains many of the items in the initial proposal from 2014, despite appearing smaller by $352 million. While costs of some projects have been reduced and a handful of projects scrapped, the district is simply deferring projects to later bonds, and plans to ask for additional bond money – $288 million – in 2018.

The state would chip in $21 million, with an additional $10 million in school impact fees.

The bond on the April 2016 ballot would rebuild and enlarge two schools in addition to JHS, Kirk Elementary and Mead Elementary.

It would also provide money to build a new middle school and two elementary schools in Redmond, as well as refurbish the old Redmond schoolhouse for preschool. The bond measure would also replace portable classrooms at Explorer Elementary school in Redmond, as well as a handful other small projects.

District officials say that the need for new buildings is dire. According to LWSD documents, the overall population in the district has grown by 3,200 students during the last five years.

The district averaged between 23,000 and 24,000 students throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, but the population has exploded – including a jump of 1,114 students coming into the 2015-16 school year, according to the district.

Currently at just under 28,000 students, the district expects to break 30,000 students by 2020-21.

As of 2016, there are 168 portable classrooms in the district, 14 percent of classrooms district-wide.

The state is also beginning to fund full-day kindergarten and the reduction of class-sizes through the third-grade level. That puts pressure on schools to find extra classrooms to hold the additional, but smaller, classes.

The majority of portables are at elementary schools, as the district has raced to cope with a massive influx of students. Two new elementary schools in Redmond would be the first phase of construction, slated for completion in 2018. A new middle school would be completed in Redmond in 2019, as well as reconstructions of the two elementary schools.

A replacement for JHS is the crown jewel on the current bond measure, costing around $145 million. It would be a three-story building on the current site, completed in 2021. The main athletic field and stands would not be changed. The building was originally completed in 1971, and is the oldest building used for classes in the district.

The upcoming bond measure marks the sixth time LWSD has put up a significant bond or levy on the ballot since 1998, including two phases of bonds in 1998 and 2006 to remodel and replace 11 schools. A levy to build additions at Eastlake and Redmond High Schools also passed in 2011.

In 2014, a bond for $755 million was defeated with 58 percent approval. A tax levy needs 50 percent, while a bond needs 60 percent.

Organized opposition raised concerns over the amount of money the district planned to spend on renovating and rebuilding schools at the time, and was concerned over the district’s overall level of fiscal responsibility. The measure would have raised taxes, as no existing bonds were set to expire.

The district assembled a task force of community members to look at improving the bond. The new initiative essentially completes most of the same projects, but differs some projects by two years and cuts back on other building expenses.

“We really stepped back and listened to the community,” Lake Washington School District Superintendent Dr. Traci Pierce said.

Two years ago, the JHS replacement would have cost less by about $10 million. District administrators cut down the cost of JHS, but inflated construction costs relative to mid-recession prices have driven up the overall budget.

The old and newly-proposed high school are vastly different in size. While the current building holds just under 1,300 students, the new building would be designed to hold 1,800 and withstand an expected growth spurt over the next 15 years. The new JHS would be larger in capacity than one proposed in 2014 by 400 students.

The new design for JHS takes advantage of a “stacking” concept, which reduces the sprawl of the building’s footprint and, according to district administrators, is cost-effective.

Should the upcoming bond measure pass, the LWSD will still need another bond to keep up with growth.

A bond measure in 2018 would add an addition to Lake Washington High School, build a new Learning Community elementary school, and remodel or replace and enlarge Kamiakin Middle School and Alcott Elementary.

The district would then put up bonds in 2022 and 2028 as part of plans to fund longer-term projects.