Education Construction at the new Badger Mountain Elementary school in south Richland. | Photo by Scott Butner Photography
Build, rebuild, remodel – repeat? BY JEFF MORROW
D
espite the pandemic, the Mid-Columbia’s school districts and schools – grades Kindergarten through 12, as well as higher education – plowed ahead to build, rebuild and remodel schools and support facilities. From a recently opened Kennewick High School, which cost over $100 million, to $30 million buildings at both Columbia Basin College in Pasco and Washington State University Tri-Cities in Richland, this region is still high on education construction. The Kennewick, Pasco and Richland school districts are winding down the projects funded by bonds approved by voters in recent years. It won’t be long before all three 34
Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business
consider new bond measures to meet the needs of the area’s everincreasing student and teacher populations. Here is a look at what is going on:
Kennewick School District The Kennewick School District’s most recent official numbers for 2020-21: 18,539 students. Robyn Chastain, executive director of communication and public relations, said that while official enrollment numbers aren’t complete, “I can tell you that we are not seeing a significant change at the elementary numbers. At the secondary level we are more optimistic that enrollment will increase compared to last school year.” The district had 1,189 classified staff and 1,325 certificated
staff last school year. The district’s operational budget for the 2021-22 school year is $292 million. The biggest school project in Kennewick and the region was the renovation and remodel of Kennewick High School. The project was approved by Kennewick voters in the 2019 bond, and cost $109.5 million. State matching funds supported the project. The 292,000-square-foot building opened to students in August. In addition, Southridge High School students were greeted with a $25 million addition of 30,000 square feet for new classroom space and athletic facility improvements. Kamiakin High School students benefited from a $17 million facelift that added
