LWSD proposes to redirect funds to combat overcrowding

The Lake Washington School District Board of Directors is seeking public input on a proposal to redirect funds that would help mitigate the growing student population in its schools in Kirkland. Comments can be emailed to board@lwsd.org before the Oct. 20 meeting.

By TJ Martinell • October 15, 2014 9:47 pm
Lake Washington School District
Lake Washington School District

The Lake Washington School District Board of Directors is seeking public input on a proposal to redirect funds that would help mitigate the growing student population in its schools in Kirkland. Comments can be emailed to board@lwsd.org before the Oct. 20 meeting.

If passed, the redirected funds would go toward, among other things, installing one portable at Franklin Elementary, 10 portables at Lake Washington High School, and modifications to Juanita High School creating offices for teachers during their planning periods. Currently Juanita High School teachers do not have their own offices for planning period, and the offices would allow others to use the classroom during that time.

The proposal was made during the board’s Oct. 6 meeting.

Kathryn Reith, communications director for LWSD, said the proposal is a short-term solution to what will prove to be a long-term problem after the bond measure earlier this year failed to pass. The district has seen an increase of 2,000 students during the last three years, a total of 26,708, making it the fastest growing district in King County for the last two years.

“It’s the only way we can afford to make these changes that will give us the available classroom space that we need for the next three years to make sure we have enough room for all the numbers that are coming,” Reith said. “We have kids coming over the next few years whether we’re ready for them or not.”

The redirected funds would come from the 2006 bond measure, which authorized the issuance of $436 million of general obligation bonds, which were used for Phase II of the district’s modernization program at 11 schools. By 2012, the district sold more than $423 million of the bonds to complete the projects. The district estimates that even though not all of the bonds authorized were sold, it will still have approximately $12 million of unspent bond funds remaining. The district also received $33 million, rather than $23 million in state construction assistance funds for these projects. State funds are received after the projects are funded and completed.