Kennewick ponders what to build with state school construction grant

The crowding that has strained Washington Elementary School in recent years eased a bit this school year, partially because of luck.

First- and third-grade classrooms are down to around 20 students each, said Principal Rob Phillips.

That’s the result of fewer-than-anticipated students in those grade levels — but also bringing in additional teachers and creating more ideal student-to-teacher ratios that educators say are better for young learners.

The east Kennewick school still relies on eight portable classrooms to accommodate all of its roughly 550 students. And class sizes in some of the lowest grades are still high, such as the 29 students second-grade teacher Alisa Olsen has in her classroom.

“It’s challenging because you can’t meet all their needs,” Olsen said.

The Kennewick School District recently won a $51 million state grant aimed at reducing class sizes, and Washington is one of the schools that may benefit, with 12 new classrooms.

School board members have only had preliminary discussions about what to do with the money, but they’ve expressed a preference to build some classroom additions and new schools to get class sizes down.

“If there’s been one thing that’s kept me up at night, it’s that we’ve received money for teachers but nothing on the capital end,” said board member Ben Messinger. “It’s wonderful that this has fallen in our lap.”

Board members and district officials say decisions on how to use the money are wrought with choices, from where there’s enough space to build and crowding is the most severe to how the projects could ultimately affect attendance boundaries and busing.

“If enrollment continues its four-year trend of increasing by 250 elementary students per year, we anticipate that we will be back where we are now shortly after we complete the grant projects,” district spokeswoman Robyn Chastain said.

Kennewick was the biggest beneficiary of the 20 districts to receive a portion of the $234 million set aside by the Legislature for the K-3 grant program. The grant is calculated to help the district build the equivalent of 89 permanent classrooms.

The grant program was established after voters approved a measure calling for class size reductions in kindergarten through third grade, requiring not only more teachers but also more physical space in which to put those teachers and students.

State lawmakers are also pushing for districts to have all kindergartners in full-day instead of half-day programs in the coming years.

Kennewick had the fourth-highest student-to-teacher ratio in those grades — about 24.5 students per classroom — of those receiving grant dollars. More than 60 portable classrooms are already in place at the district’s elementary schools.

The grant should help the district get its youngest students in classrooms with fewer than 20 students on average. District administrators have offered seven options for putting the money to use, such as classroom additions to older buildings, entire new schools, and magnet programs to free up space around the district. Almost all the proposals would be partially leveraged with the $89.5 million bond approved by voters in February.

It will be weeks before the school board ultimately decides which projects to pursue. Building some classroom additions and a new elementary school in addition to those already paid for by the bond could meet the present and future needs for space in all parts of the district, board members said.

There is some concern about how big the school additions or new schools could be. Some schools could have as many as 36 classrooms. While that wouldn’t necessarily mean a much larger student population, such a large building could affect students.

“I’m sensitive to building these huge schools that can intimidate a 5-year-old,” said board Vice President Heather Kintzley.

The grant, while welcome, won’t banish portable classrooms from Kennewick elementary schools.

They would still be necessary to house the pre-K classrooms for the state’s Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program. And they likely will be needed again as the student population grows in the coming years.

“We have no plans to sell any portable classrooms,” Chastain said. “We will always keep them within the school district and use them where needed.”

Seven scenarios for construction projects

Here are the seven scenarios of construction projects presented to the Kennewick School Board using a $51 million state grant and the $89.5 million bond approved by voters.

Option 1: Use grant and bond money to build new Elementary #16 with 30 classrooms in west Kennewick, a new Elementary #17 with 30 classrooms on either 10th Avenue or current site of Desert Hills Middle School, and 12-classroom additions at Hawthorne, Washington and Amistad elementary schools.

Option 2: Use grant and bond money to build new Elementary #16 in west Kennewick, build 12-classroom additions at Hawthorne, Washington and Edison elementary schools and an 18-classroom addition at Amistad Elementary School.

Option 3: Use grant and bond money to build new Elementary #16 in west Kennewick, build 12-classroom additions at Hawthorne, Washington, Amistad, Edison, Eastgate and Vista elementary schools.

Option 4: Use grant and bond money to build new Elementary #16 with 36 classrooms in west Kennewick, build new Elementary #17 on either 10th Avenue or current site of Desert Hills Middle School, as well as 12-classroom additions at Washington and Amistad elementary schools.

Option 5: Use grant and bond money build new Elementary #16 with 36 classrooms in west Kennewick and remodel and expand Amistad Elementary School to 36 classrooms, build 12-classroom additions at Hawthorne and Washington elementary schools.

Option 6: Use grant and bond money to build new Elementary #16 with 30 classrooms in west Kennewick; build new Elementary #17 with 30 classrooms on either 10th Avenue, the current site of Desert Hills Middle School or the site of the Fruitland building for a magnet program; build new Elementary #18 with 30 classrooms at either 10th Avenue, the current site for Desert Hills or the Fruitland building for another magnet program.

Option 7: Use grant money to build new Elementary #17 with 30 classrooms on either 10th Avenue, the current site of Desert Hills Middle School or the site of the Fruitland building for a magnet program; build new Elementary #18 with 30 classrooms at either 10th Avenue, the current site for Desert Hills or the Fruitland building for another magnet program; and build 12-classroom additions at Hawthorne, Washington and Edison elementary schools.

This story was originally published May 22, 2016 at 7:25 PM with the headline "Kennewick ponders what to build with state school construction grant."