QVSD Board Places Forks Middle School Replacement Bond on November 3 Ballot – Measure would replace 74-year-old Forks Middle School building
Published 1:30 am Thursday, August 6, 2026
On July 28, the Quillayute Valley School District Board of Directors voted unanimously to place a school construction bond measure on the November 3, 2026 General Election ballot.
If approved by voters, the bond would replace the 74-year-old Forks Middle School (FMS) building and, in the process:
• Improve campus safety and security
• Bring the building up to modern safety and energy code requirements
• Add breakout spaces for academic instruction
• Replace aging structural elements
• Replace heating and cooling systems
• Install additional electrical outlets to support classroom learning
Students at FMS walk outdoors between four separate buildings during the school day. The proposed replacement school would improve safety by bringing all classrooms under one roof with a single secure entrance. The project would also improve traffic flow and pedestrian safety in the student drop-off and pick-up area.
The existing FMS building does not meet current safety, seismic and energy code requirements. Because even partial renovations would trigger safety and energy code requirements throughout the facility, replacing the building is a more cost-effective long-term solution than remodeling.
Despite ongoing maintenance, aging roofing, drainage, and structural systems at FMS continue to require costly repairs.
Community feedback played a key role in shaping the proposal, including input gathered through this spring’s community survey.
“We’re grateful for the thoughtful feedback we heard from our community throughout this process,” said Bill Rhode, Quillayute Valley School District school board chair. “Placing this measure on the November ballot gives our community the opportunity to maximize available state construction funding if voters approve the bond.”
Quillayute Valley School District qualifies for approximately $21 million in State Construction Assistance (SCAP) funding at no additional cost to local taxpayers if voters approve the bond in November 2026. If the project approval is delayed until 2027, the district’s estimated state funding would decrease to about $17 million.
Quillayute Valley School District must have a voter-approved bond in place to collect timber sales revenue at no additional cost to taxpayers. Between 2008 and 2025, Quillayute Valley School District received about $9 million in timber sales revenue.
Bonds totaling $34 million will be combined with available state dollars to fund the middle school replacement project over a 25-year repayment period. If approved, the proposed Forks Middle School bond would phase in as the existing Forks High School bond debt phases out and is paid off at the end of 2028. The estimated bond tax rate would be $1.94 per $1,000 of assessed property value. For the owner of a home with an assessed value of $350,000, the estimated cost would be about $56 per month.
The bond proposal is the result of months of planning by the FMS Predesign Committee, a volunteer group of parents, staff members, community members, and local business owners.
“Our committee carefully reviewed the school’s needs to develop a community-informed recommendation that reflects community input and is part of a long-term plan to improve all school buildings across the district,” said Bill Henderson, member of the FMS Predesign Committee.
For more information about the proposed bond measure, visit www.qvschools.org/bond.
