The school board voted Feb. 17 to begin the planning phase. It will use $480,000 in the capital projects fund to pay for the work.

The hope is, finance director Jim Baker said, that the state legislature will come through with funding for the cafeteria. If it does, construction on a new one could begin Oct. 1. If that doesn’t happen, the school district would have to try to pass a bond measure.

The funds will pay for the initial design phase, which will include things such as permitting.

Superintendent Becky Berg said of the 1,900 people who responded online about the cafeteria, 67 percent said they want a new one built on a new spot. Many others on the Thought Exchange online survey said they wanted a brand-new school.

The company that will do the pre-design work is an ESD in Vancouver, WA, which built Grove Elementary School and Marysville Getchell High School.

If the district doesn’t get the state grant, it can back out of the agreement as long as it’s before June 30.

Baker said the almost half-a-million dollars will not be wasted even if that happens.

“We will be ready when” we get the money to build, he said.

• The board decided to refinance almost $10 million in bonds in a move that could save taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars. Jon Gores of the firm DA Davidson lower interest rates would save money, “like a home mortgage.” Right now taxpayers are paying more than 4 percent, and in later years it will jump to 5 percent. By refinancing now, the rate could drop to 2.15 percent. The district won’t refinance unless it means a 5 percent savings to taxpayers. The firm would make $41,000 if the transaction occurs.

• The state Auditor’s Office is doing accountability, financial and federal grant compliance audits on the district. Specific areas it will look at include: Associated Student Body spending and fund-raising, staffing, purchases and special education funding. The goal is to help the district work better and cost less, representatives said. The cost of the audit is $47,000. They emphasized the state offers free training to help before problems develop.

• Four teachers have received National Board Certification: Robert Stoddard at Totem Middle, Elizabeth Riley at Cedarcrest Middle, Manya McFarlane at Quil Ceda Tulalip Elementary and Christina Allen at Liberty Elementary.

• The board also extended the superintendent’s contract for a year and passed a resolution on Black History Month.