Richland School Board considers whether third high school is in community’s future

The Richland School District estimates that it will have an additional 1,500 high school students — enough to fill their own high school — within the next 10 years.

School board members heard details on the projected student enrollment growth at a recent meeting as part of their discussions about a potential future bond measure.

A third high school to serve alongside Richland and Hanford high schools could be included in that bond, but so could an expansion at the two high schools to meet the need for more classrooms.

Board members and district administrators acknowledged either choice poses financial and logistic implications. There’s also a philosophical component, as board members debated the quality of students’ experiences attending a high school closer to the current size of those in the district or one with as many as 3,000 students.

“That’s a different conversation in any community,” Superintendent Rick Schulte said.

The board began mulling in September whether to put another bond before voters, potentially as soon as February 2017, four years after voters approved a $98 million bond.

Student enrollment is growing faster than the district projected. Coupled with the district’s drive to offer full-day kindergarten and meet a statewide initiative to lower class sizes, space is at a premium in the district’s schools.

Administrators have said there are between 15 and 20 teachers rotating into empty classrooms to teach classes because of the lack of space at Richland and Hanford high schools, which enroll about 1,700 and 2,000 students.

Adding a new high school would balloon the price of any future bond, as high schools generally cost about $80 million to $90 million to build.

Building modular structures at the two high schools to accommodate additional students also could address the problem. Board member Gordon Comfort spoke in favor of that option, noting larger schools could offer more educational opportunities, such as more Advanced Placement class offerings, because there would be a bigger pool of students to pull from. There’s also cost savings, as building on high school property would eliminate the cost of buying a new site for a high school.

“Everything is less expensive with two high schools than three high schools,” he said.

But board President Rick Jansons questioned whether the district would want to have schools with as many as 3,000 students.

Board member Rick Donahoe said his sons attended large high schools in California, one with as many as 4,500 students, and their experience was generally negative. And Comfort acknowledged that students could be limited in other ways at a larger school, such as in athletics.

It’s not known when the board will decide how to address the problem. But the issue isn’t going away, and the need for more space isn’t escaping anyone’s attention.

“It is on people’s minds that our high schools are at capacity and space is at a premium,” Schulte said of conversations he’s had while giving presentations on the recent election to renew the district’s operations levy.

This story was originally published February 20, 2016 at 9:35 PM with the headline "Richland School Board considers whether third high school is in community’s future."