See comments below this post from LWSD parents and volunteers regarding the district's $500,000,000 "remodernizations" to date. Comments?
Lake Washington School District receives almost 14 million in state money for school construction.
Redmond, Wash. – On July 12,Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn announced $213 million in capital construction money approved and released to school districts throughout the state, including close to $14 million for Lake Washington School District. The legislature made these funds available for school construction, as approved by the governor.
Lake Washington successfully applied for state funding to help with the cost of four school construction projects that are part of the district’smodernization program. Ten schools are slated for modernization in the second of four phases that will ensure that district schools are updated every 30 to 40 years. A $436 million bond measure passed by voters in 2006 funds most of the cost of updating these 10 buildings.
The four school projects that received the funds are:
· Alexander Graham Bell Elementary, Kirkland - $3,105,337
· Benjamin Rush Elementary, Redmond - $2,661,490
· Rose Hill/Stella Schola Middle Schools, Redmond - $5,301,313
· International Community School/Community School, Kirkland - $2,761,777
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“These additional state dollars help us stretch the modernization funds provided by local taxpayers even further,” noted Dr. Traci Pierce, superintendent.
These four projects are the last to be completed in this phase of modernization. All four have begun construction and are scheduled to open in the fall of 2013. Three other schools – Muir Elementary, Keller Elementary and Sandburg Elementary/Discovery Community School, all in Kirkland – are now being completed in preparation for opening in September 2012.
Lake Washington School District receives almost 14 million in state money for school construction.
Redmond, Wash. – On July 12,Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn announced $213 million in capital construction money approved and released to school districts throughout the state, including close to $14 million for Lake Washington School District. The legislature made these funds available for school construction, as approved by the governor.
Lake Washington successfully applied for state funding to help with the cost of four school construction projects that are part of the district’smodernization program. Ten schools are slated for modernization in the second of four phases that will ensure that district schools are updated every 30 to 40 years. A $436 million bond measure passed by voters in 2006 funds most of the cost of updating these 10 buildings.
The four school projects that received the funds are:
· Alexander Graham Bell Elementary, Kirkland - $3,105,337
· Benjamin Rush Elementary, Redmond - $2,661,490
· Rose Hill/Stella Schola Middle Schools, Redmond - $5,301,313
· International Community School/Community School, Kirkland - $2,761,777
READ MORE >>
“These additional state dollars help us stretch the modernization funds provided by local taxpayers even further,” noted Dr. Traci Pierce, superintendent.
These four projects are the last to be completed in this phase of modernization. All four have begun construction and are scheduled to open in the fall of 2013. Three other schools – Muir Elementary, Keller Elementary and Sandburg Elementary/Discovery Community School, all in Kirkland – are now being completed in preparation for opening in September 2012.
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About Lake Washington:Lake Washington School District is a high-performing public school district serving Kirkland, Redmond, and Sammamish, Washington. It is the sixth largest district in the state of Washington, with over 24,500 students in 50 schools.
I'm so appalled that LWSD has torn down and rebuilt so many well-built middle-aged schools at a cost of $500,000,000+.
ReplyDeleteAnd now the school district is receiving another $14,000,000 from the state? That's 6.5% of the total being handed out to the whole state! -Anonymous comment from LWSD parent and volunteer.
Well good for them! Now, will they PLEASE STOP asking the taxpayers for MORE MONEY? And possibly build schools for future student growth?
ReplyDeleteAnd will they stop using the misnomer, remodernizations? Almost all recent buildings have been 100% demolished. Brand new buildings are constructed, often with reduced common areas.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's hard to stay in the teaching business when your school is under construction but somehow they are managing to build two large HS wings and gym annexs during late Fall thru summer...and when construction services are dirt cheap. They could do the same for some middle schools or elementary schools with creative busing and construction phasing.
We're getting less for more and all in the wrong places.
No matter how much money is thrown into the public education system (building construction or otherwise), I'm afraid we'll still be bemoaning the sad state of student literacy and math skills ten yrs from now. What can you expect when the focus is on giving out accolades to schools for "their commitment to environmental leadership" (thanks, Randy).
ReplyDeleteI invite all those who have commented here and those interested to review the school modernization section on the district website (in the school construction section under the For the Community tab). For each project, there is a modernization analysis that spells out in detail the costs for remodeling a building versus building a new building.
ReplyDeleteThere are significant costs to either moving an entire school population or phasing a project. These reports spell out those costs. In addition, moving a population requires finding a suitable space that meets all the legal and zoning requirements for a school. That's not such an easy task and likely would require remodeling the temporary space, an additional cost. It all adds up.
Many of the buildings in this phase of modernization were built in the 1960s, a time when school buildings were built as quickly as possible to handle the baby boomer students flooding schools. They were built quickly to meet an immediate need, not designed to last for many years. The expectation was they would be needed perhaps 20 years, not the 40-50 years they have been in use.
Bob, we use the term modernization (not remodernization) because the goal is to create a school building that meets current needs, including enabling modern teaching methods. It covers both remodels and new buildings. If you have a suggestion for another term that covers all that this program does, I welcome it.