A waterfall of rain pours down on Sunny Hills Elementary, slops over the gutters and splashes onto its outdoor walkways.

Sidestepping one of many puddles, principal Sarah White flips up her hood and heads for the 11 portables that make up much of her campus.

The wooden structures have been a fixture at Sunny Hills for so long, they’re counted among the 31 permanent classrooms. Some have even seen remodels.

They’re the biggest reason why White is hoping for a new school; the list of needs — including gutters that don’t behave like water fountains — continues to grow as the 1960s facility ages.

A new school building, ticketed at $27 million, is among the top projects that the Issaquah School District hopes to pay for through its April bond.

“We’re so excited,” White said. “The staff already talks about ‘when we get a new school building…’”

The district is asking residents to pay $219 million over the next eight years. The bond would replace an expiring one with a lower tax rate.

Since 1991, the student population has almost doubled in size.

“It was a tough challenge to keep buildings coming up fast enough,” said Steve Crawford, director of capital projects.

While the district scrambled to find space for students to sit, thoughts of renovating older schools like Sunny Hills and Liberty High School were put on hold.

April’s bond would rebuild ISD’s oldest facilities. It also comes with perks such as $12 million for football stadiums at each high school.

Liberty High School principal Mike DeLetis adjusts the fan in a new science lab. It sends a gentle whoosh through the room, and puts a smile in his eyes.

As simple as it might seem, it’s a point of pride. Without a fan, the students can’t use Bunsen burners — common lab equipment.

The district added the fans when it remodeled two of Liberty’s science labs, but the remaining science classrooms won’t get the improvements until another bond passes.

Before the remodel, teacher Alisa Jermica was in one of the least-equipped rooms. Her students worked on long tables instead of at lab stations — waist-high booths equipped with gas and plenty of electrical outlets.

Her space is now so enviable that she’ll occasionally swap rooms with teachers so they, too, can run larger experiments.

At first the district didn’t plan to fully remodel Liberty. The last capital bond provided $15 million for a new performing arts space.

The project is now well underway. The finished product would be similar to Issaquah High School, with a 600-seat auditorium, orchestra pit and black box theater.

As a planning committee began filling out the details for the new arts center, DeLetis encouraged them to take a second look at Liberty.

The group decided the school needed more extensive improvements. The district got a head start by giving a few extra dollars for classroom remodels, including Jermica’s science lab.

The school is depending on April’s bond to provide another $44 million to finish the remodel.

The plan touches every part of Liberty’s campus, except the main gym, which received upgrades in the 1990s. The narrow A-frame entryway would be combined with the student commons to create an open space. Administrative offices would move to the front of the school, giving a better view of who is coming and going.

Heading to the ground floor of the classroom wing, DeLetis greets a teacher in the hall. It’s state testing week, but he wants to show the cramped classrooms.

Unlocking the door to a math room, he flips on the lights.

“We call it the bunker because there are no windows,” he says.

Plans for a remodel would provide enough natural light that most days, teachers won’t need to flip on all of the light switches, says Steve Crawford, director of capital projects.

New buildings use up to 30 percent less energy because of natural light and better insulation. That’s operations money that can be spent on teachers and curriculum, he said.

For DeLetis, the remodel is as much an improvement for student learning as it is about the community taking pride in its high school.

“I think people want good schools,” he said. “That’s why people move to Issaquah (school district).”

Top bond  projects

• $219 million is the total bond cost

• $63 million to rebuild Issaquah Middle School next to Issaquah High School

• $44 million to finish Liberty High School’s remodel

• $27 million to rebuild Sunny Hills Elementary School

• $19.5 million to remodel and move Clark Elementary School to the IMS site

• $12 million to remodel and add covered stadiums to Issaquah, Skyline and Liberty high schools.

Celeste Gracey is a reporter for the Issaquah-Sammamish Reporter, a sister paper of the Mercer Island Reporter.