tricityherald.com
COMMUNITIES & LIFESTYLE
Tri-City Herald • Sunday, March 31, 2013
7
RICHLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT
Bond approval opening doors for improvement More than 66 percent of Richland School District residents said yes to a $98 million bond issue in February. We thank our community for this strong show of support. We are moving ahead now with our efforts to improve district facilities and provide 21st century schools for the children of Richland and West Richland. These improvements will benefit students and families for decades to come. Be assured that these improvements will positively impact student achievement. The bond issue addresses these specific projects: ◗ Lewis & Clark, Marcus Whitman and Sacajawea Elementary Schools will be replaced. The process will be similar to the Jason Lee project 10 years ago. New schools will be built on a different section of the respective campuses, and then the old structures will be
demolished. ◗ A new elementary school will be built in south Richland where continual Rich Puryear growth is taking place. ◗ A new midInterim superintendent dle school will be built in the south/west area where continual growth is taking place. ◗ Provide adequate space for HomeLink at a site to be determined. ◗ The 1953 wing of Jefferson Elementary will be removed and replaced with adequate space to serve the current K-5 enrollment. ◗ The Chief Joseph Middle School HVAC system will be replaced.
◗ Make safety improvements at Fran Rish Stadium. The Richland School Board and district administrative staff are determining timelines for each of the projects. Each project will begin with an educational specifications committee (or a combined committee for all the elementary schools) and a thorough design phase. We will use the same design plans for multiple schools whenever possible to save on architectural costs. The Richland School District was an excellent steward of the 2003 bond issue money, and we will be an excellent steward again this time around. We will maximize the use of state matching funds. We will use some of these state funds to help pay for the project/construction managers. These professionals will oversee the design and construction activi-
Kandace Sanford, 8, takes a test in the computer lab earlier this year at Badger Mountain Elementary School in Richland. The $98 million bond approved Feb. 12 by voters will allow the Richland School District to expand some schools. Tri-City Herald file
ties to make sure that all of these projects are finished on time and within budget. In addition, the school board and administrative staff will continuously perform oversight activities and monitor costs and schedules to ensure that we meet all educational specifica-
tions while being efficient with our taxpayers’ money. If you have ideas or questions regarding these bond issue projects, please contact me at 967-6001 or rich.puryear@ rsd.edu. You are also welcome to attend any meetings of the Richland School Board.