It was a room of believers in a common goal, generating a warm fuzzy feeling spirited by a can-do attitude.

Citizens for Better Schools is gearing up again, and its cadre of volunteer movers and shakers gathered in Oak Harbor High School’s library Thursday night to organize and kick-off a campaign for a remodeled and expanded high school.

Their goal is to garner Oak Harbor voting taxpayers’ support for the estimated $58 million upgrade and expansion. State matching funds would cover about $12 million of the tab.

The group is committed to working tirelessly on the effort until the polls close on March 11, 2003, and voters have the final say on whether or not they want to pay about $46 million for the project aimed at providing high-quality facilities for high school students.

Led by “levy ladies” Lynn Goebel and Kathy Chalfant, now a school board member, the group is planning to build on and use what it learned during its successful campaign for the maintenance and operations levies that voters approved in March 2001.

Goebel and Chalfant asked for meeting attendees’ support by volunteering on working committees and by helping to spread the message that Oak Harbor needs to have a remodeled and expanded high school.

Citizens for Better Schools plans to focus on educating the public about the project and getting the yes votes.

A common theme among the discussions Thursday night was that the remodel, which includes a performing arts center and a new sports facility, will be good for the community as well as for students.

Tony Steadman, a representative of Whidbey Arts Foundation, pledged support for and assistance in the campaign.

“We want to fundraise,” Steadman told the group.

Fundraising began at Thursday’s meeting, with Citizens for Better School’s treasurer, Kathy Jones, speaking to the cost of running a campaign. The operations and maintenance levy and the high school sports facility bond issue that was on the ballot in March 2001 cost about $21,000, Jones said.

“We need your time, your talent and your financial support,” Jones said to the gathering.

Important elements of the campaign, Goebel said, are effectively spreading the group’s message through public relations work, a pledge drive to get voters to commit to a yes vote, and effective communications to “keep the campaign alive.”

Goebel and Chalfant also provided statistics from the successful March 2001 campaign, which illustrated the kinds of voters that support a levy or bond issue, and how to identify them.

Citizens for Better Schools is gearing up to begin the campaign almost immediately.

“We’re on schedule if we can pull together a group of people and start in September,” Goebel said.

Public outreach and education will be followed by a voter registration drive in January. A phone drive is scheduled for February, which will coincide with the mailing of absentee ballots.

If voters approve the bond issue in March 2003, the project would be completed in about four years. Design work would start immediately and take about a year-and-a-half, followed by two-and-a-half years of construction, said Gary Goltz, construction manager for the school district.

Nick Carter, a retired man who volunteers time working at the high school, stood at the meeting to voice his support. He suggested that anyone wondering whether students deserve new facilities should spend some time at the high school.

“These are great kids,” Carter said.

Student board member Chris Brown, a senior at the high school, said it is important to students to feel pride in their school.

“There are needs for changes,” Brown said.

Others are concerned about the safety of students with the layout of the current high school. Darlene Buss is the mother of two teens and the president of the PTA at the high school.

Buss said she sees the crowded hallways and she also is concerned about there being too many entrance doors in the current layout.

She supports a high school remodel and expansion for these reasons, as well as the fact that teachers and district officials say there is a need for a better high school.

“I trust their judgement,” Buss said.

Meanwhile, Goebel stressed the Citizens for Better Schools campaign motto, which she asked supporters and volunteers to keep in mind.

Said Goebel: “Find, bank and turn out the yes votes.”

You can reach News-Times reporter Christine Smith at csmith@whidbeynewstimes.com or call 675-6611.