Community Advisory Group Plans for Future Facilities Needs
Community members who serve on our Capital Facilities Advisory Committee (CFAC) met last week on Zoom to learn more about the 11 older school sites they will prioritize for future school bond recommendations.
The schools that remain to be prioritized for future school bonds are:
- Beverly Park Elementary School
- Big Picture (Manhattan site)
- Cascade Middle School
- Chinook Middle School
- CHOICE Academy (Woodside site)
- Hilltop Elementary School
- New Start High School
- Seahurst Elementary School
- Southern Heights Elementary
- Sylvester Middle School
- Valley View Early Learning
(Evergreen, Tyee and Pacific schools have already been recommended for the next school bond.)
May 26, 2021 Meeting Summary
Co-chairs Omaha Sternberg and Shane Stender said the prioritization process will continue in the fall. The community-led advisory group plans to meet in person again this fall, host more speakers and tour some of the school sites to gain deeper knowledge and build consensus.
At the May 26 Zoom meeting, CFAC members learned about the following topics:
- Highline High School Project Update
- 85% completion
- July 1 substantial completion milestone
- On track to open school in September
- Population & Enrollment Update
- 17,754 K-12 students enrolled as of March 2021
- Enrollment by school and grade level
- Highline residents projected to increase, but enrollment to continue slight decline through 2025-26. The number of students per household is decreasing. Baseline housing costs are increasing.
- Annual average enrollment numbers are falling between low and medium projections.
- Property & Site Use Update
- HiLine Lanes Bowling Alley purchase effective in July; to be used for warehouse and parking space.
- Maritime High School will be located at Olympic Interim Site until 2022-23; a long-term site is being sought near the Duwamish River.
- Highline Virtual Academy staff will also be located at Olympic Interim Site.
- Tax Rate Forecast for 2022
- The School Board is expected to place a replacement educational programs and operations levy on the November 2021 ballot.
- The levy will not raise taxes; it replaces current operating levy funding.
- Assessed valuation continues to grow, so we expect tax rates to remain stable for the next school bond (Evergreen, Tyee and Pacific schools), to be proposed as soon as 2022.
- Getting to Know 11 Older Schools
- Photos
- Location, acres, construction & remodel years
- Enrollment by school
- Building conditions based on state database
- Permanent capacity
- Shared facilities
Meeting Materials
Here are links to the agenda and slidedeck from the May 26 CFAC meeting:
- Meeting Agenda: English/Spanish
- Meeting Slidedeck
The Zoom meeting was recorded. If you wish to listen to the meeting, please contact Rosie Eades to request the link and password, or to request the recording in a more accessible format.
Next Meeting
The next CFAC meeting will be scheduled this fall to continue to work toward a prioritized list of our 11 older schools for future school bonds after the next one.
Half of the CFAC members are residents chosen periodically by lottery and half are appointed by local community organizations, district labor unions and local governments. Find out more about CFAC meetings and membership.