Bond Project Update: March 2024
Thank you, voters!
New Bethel High School
Construction on the New Bethel High School broke ground on March 26, 2024! During the past 15 years, there have been enough hurdles, twists, turns and barriers to building to fill a novel.
In keeping with the wishes of the Crate family, who some of the land was purchased from, a plan to build a memorial plaza in honor of Casey Crate will be part of the New Bethel High School campus.
The timeline for the project is currently 27 months.
See more from the groundbreaking ceremony here.
Expedition Elementary
Construction crews are making amazing progress on our newest bond-funded school, Expedition Elementary. The 66,000-square-foot building, which will be located in the Lipoma Firs Community, will house about 500 students in 27 general classrooms and various shared spaces when it opens this fall.
Evergreen Elementary Expansion
The much needed expansion of Evergreen Elementary is now in permitting. This project will add 10,000 square feet to the school, which will include eight additional classrooms and a new commons.
The main part of the construction will take place once school gets out for the summer. The old Naches Trail Elementary will become home to the Evergreen Elementary staff and students for the 2024/25 school year while the renovation and expansion of their school takes place.
Cedarcrest Middle School
We’re excited to announce that we have completed the selection process for the Cedardrest Middle School Renovation & Expansion project. The district recommended and the School Board approved BCRA, Inc. of Tacoma to perform the architectural services.
Our construction team recently conducted a Feasibility Study for the project to better realize the options available to them before starting the design work. This study will help them assess the needs and budget parameters, so we don’t run into any issues along the way.
Facility Advisory Committee Update
All but two of our elementary schools are over capacity. That’s according to a recent study that’s being examined by our Facility Advisory Committee.
The Facility Advisory Committee is made up of parents, community members, business owners, school and district staff, as well as School Board members.
With the growth we are seeing, capacity is a big struggle at our elementary schools. Looking at enrollment from the 2022/23 school year, Nelson topped the list with a whopping 733 students. Shining Mountain and Graham elementaries were tied for the most portables with 15 each.
Only Katherine G. Johnson Elementary and the new Naches Trail Elementary are not currently over capacity, and both schools have zero portables on campus … so far.
The Facility Advisory Committee is currently in the process of examining the current state of our district facilities and planning for future improvements, expansions, and new schools. Data about building capacity and safety and security issues were discussed at length by the group at their recent meeting.
When it came to safety and security, the group looked at data surrounding the presence of secure entry vestibules, security cameras, fencing around student areas, car cueing safety, and more. The group learned that we work with our SROs to try and alleviate car cueing issues as much as possible, and that only 50% of our schools have emergency generators. They also discussed the conditions of athletic fields across the district.
Members learned that recent security camera and video entry system upgrades were part of our 2019 bond projects. As always, thank you to our voters!
The committee will continue to meet monthly, and plans to bring their recommendations to the School Board this summer.
