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OLYMPIA – Students from the Port Angeles School District joined administrators last week lobbying legislators to change requirements for school bonds.

High school seniors Andrew Pena and Hailey Robinson, and sophomore Abby Sanders along with superintendent Marty Brewer testified before legislators about creating simple majority passage for school construction bonds.

Robinson told a Senate committee, the current 60 percent yes requirement would help Port Angeles schools get needed upgrades to its 50 plus year-old building that are falling apart.

Right now, school construction bonds must get a 60 percent approval rate to validate. School levies, meantime only require a simple majority. The Senate is considering two bills. One would make bonds passage the same as levies, while another would lower the 60 percent approval to 55 percent. Any change would also require changing the state constitution.  While most Senators on the committee were sympathetic to the issues for getting construction bonds, some said changing the rules would force tax rates up.

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