A potential new elementary is in the works for Pullman School District.

The new school would be Pullman’s fourth current elementary school, alongside Franklin, Jefferson and Sunnyside, if its bond passes in the upcoming Feb. 9 Washington State Special Election.

If passed, this $23.5 million bond will fund the new school’s construction, which the district hopes to build on Military Hill, near Terre View Drive. The school district’s architect has created early concept sketches of the potential new building and campus, which can be seen on the Pullman News Radio website.

No new plans or drawings will be made for the school until the bond is passed.

Michael Rydbom, bond committee chair, said the bond would not go into effect until 2017, at which point it would raise property taxes for Pullman residents 44 cents per $1,000 of assessed value.

This comes with a caveat however; if the Pullman population continues to grow as projected, this number will decrease for every home.

As the bonds that funded the new middle school in 2003 and the ongoing construction in the high school are paid off, the increase to the property tax should gradually decline. Even at the current increase rate, property taxes would still be lower than they were in 2014.

Rydbom explained that after Initiative 1351 was passed in November of 2014, requiring reduced class sizes, the current schools were simply not enough.

The population of Pullman has been steadily increasing, and over the past seven years Pullman elementary schools have seen 450 new students enrolled.

Rydbom said to meet the state requirement, the district needs at least 16 new classrooms. Also, the district is trying to establish a full-day Kindergarten, which Rydbom said would require five additional classrooms in the district.

Also included in the upcoming vote is the school district’s Maintenance & Operations Levy. This levy is generally voted on every two years, and the money is used to fund everyday operations at the school such as utilities, grounds-keeping, clubs and activities, and other everyday expenses the district has.

This year’s levy is for $5.3 million and will be for the next four years. This is the same rate as the current levy, and so passing this levy will not increase Pullman residents’ taxes in any way. The levy and new school bond are voted on independently of one another.

Reporting by Seth Hansen