Dear Highline School Board Directors,

We are neighbors, parents and community members across Highline Public Schools and supporters asking you to place the Capital Facilities Advisory Committee's (CFAC) bond recommendation on the November 2026 ballot.

What Our Community Built Together

This recommendation came from two years of deliberate, community-led work by CFAC — neighbors selected by public lottery, alongside community organizations, city staff and students. They reviewed building conditions, enrollment trends, site feasibility analyses, cost projections and community feedback. They weighed every major decision against seven community-defined priorities, with Health, Safety & Security; Building Condition; and Equity & Student Impact ranked highest by our community.

The same committee structure successfully recommended the 2016 and 2022 bonds — projects that were completed on time and on budget. That 10-year track record matters. Highline has demonstrated it can be trusted with this investment.

The committee's recommendation is urgent and covers all neighborhoods in our district:

1. Rebuild Sylvester and Cascade Middle Schools
2. Rebuild and modernize Chinook Middle School and CHOICE Academy
3. Fund initial design work for Hilltop Elementary and Valley View Early Learning
4. Set aside $40 million for critical needs at schools across the district

On the Salmon Creek Site

We recognize that our neighbors have raised concerns about relocating Cascade Middle School to the Salmon Creek site, and we want to acknowledge that these are real concerns.

What gives us confidence is that the district has already begun to act on those concerns — proactively meeting with City of Burien leaders, updating the planning concept in direct response to neighbor feedback, and committing in writing to: identifying neighborhood liaisons to better share information, ensuring Salmon Creek representation on the design review committee, and hosting a public open house before the election. The district also confirmed that the Shark Garden's own leadership is planning to relocate and is committed to providing support during that transition.

The detailed traffic, environmental and feasibility studies that neighbors are asking for are exactly what the permitting process is designed to produce — and that process cannot begin until voters approve the investment. The Salmon Creek site offers more usable land, a practical single-building design, allows students to stay at their current school during construction and $44 million in cost savings.

The CFAC members who reviewed this — also our neighbors — were clear in their deliberations: they chose to prioritize students and fiscal responsibility, with confidence that the permitting and design process offers extensive opportunities to address neighborhood concerns along the way.  Leaving one school behind today means that one group of students will wait longer for a safe, modern school while construction costs continue to rise.

The Right Step Forward

CFAC’s recommendation reflects years of careful community work, a commitment to equity across the district and a fiscally responsible plan developed by Highline's own neighbors. Highline has a strong track record of delivering on its promises to voters. The schools recommended in this bond have needed attention for decades.

We urge you to place this bond on the November 2026 ballot and trust the broader community to make the final decision. Our students — in every corner of this district — deserve the chance to learn in safe, modern schools.

Thank you for your service to our community and for the work ahead.

Sincerely,

Neighbors, parents, community members and supporters of the 2026 CFAC Bond Recommendation