Kennewick School District: New buildings help meet the needs of growing district
Growth remains a consistent theme in the Kennewick School District. District enrollment is approaching 19,000 students, and we have more than 2,600 staff members working hard to prepare our students for their futures with the support of our Kennewick community.
To serve these students, we recently opened a rebuilt and larger Westgate Elementary, paid for by an $89.5 million bond approved by voters in February 2015. That bond also paid for construction of a relocated Desert Hills Middle School, the new Chinook Middle School and the new Sage Crest Elementary. The last project on the bond, the new Amon Creek Elementary in the Clearwater Creek development, will open in August 2018. All these projects are a testament to our community
More elementary classrooms are under construction in the district thanks to a $51.1 million state grant awarded to the district in the spring of 2016 aimed at reducing class sizes in kindergarten through third-grade classrooms. That money is going toward construction of additional classrooms at Amon Creek as well as construction of the new Fuerza Elementary, a dedicated dual-language elementary school at the former Desert Hills campus, and a 20-classroom addition at Amistad Elementary.
All this space for students is needed: about 500 additional students were in our schools this fall compared with the same time last year. That growth trend has continued consistently for several years and is expected to continue.
Our district needs to be ready to welcome our current and future students to schools that can effectively provide a quality education. It is with that goal in mind that the district is planning to put a bond before voters in February 2019 with the following proposed projects:
- Replacement of Kennewick High School
- Replacement of Amistad Elementary
- Replacement of Ridge View Elementary
- Construction of the district’s 18th elementary school
- Construction of additional classrooms at Kamiakin High School
- Construction of additional classrooms at Southridge High School
Our district continues to work to make sure students can succeed in life and work once they graduate. Most students are studying algebra before high school as part of a district initiative to better prepare them for advanced coursework. Our comprehensive high schools are maintaining extended graduation rates of 90 percent or higher. We continue to hire qualified staff members for our expanding buildings and programs.
The district is committed to using taxpayer dollars wisely to provide safe schools where students are empowered to follow their dreams and be successful. It is because of our supportive community that we have the privilege and ability to do so.
This story was originally published April 2, 2018 at 2:29 PM with the headline "Kennewick School District: New buildings help meet the needs of growing district."