Washougal school board member calls for close look at elementary schools

A Washougal school board member is calling for district leaders to study the relative benefits and costs of operating four elementary schools that are each running below their student capacities.

During a discussion about the district’s 2022-27 capital facilities plan June 10, board member Jim Cooper said that “anyone who looks at this elementary school (data) will conclude we are underutilizing that space, and if you include the portables, we’re really underutilizing the space.”

Cooper referred to his Pennsylvania hometown, where “three of the schools have been closed and sold and turned into senior living and other things in the community.”

Cooper clarified later when contacted by a reporter that “there have not been any ‘behind-the-scenes talks’ about closing an elementary school in Washougal.”

“I do believe that the district should have a conversation about the utilization efficiencies of each of our school buildings to ensure that we are good stewards of public tax funds,” he added.

Data presented in the updated six-year capital facilities plan, approved by the board during its June 10 meeting, indicates that none of the district’s elementary schools approached capacity during the 2024-25 school year. Gause Elementary School had a utilization rate of 39 percent (capacity of 600 with 235 students), with Hathaway Elementary at 56 percent (capacity 525 with 294 students), Cape Horn-Skye Elementary at 63 percent (capacity of 450 with 282 students), and Columbia River Gorge Elementary at 56 percent (capacity of 625 with 351 students).

The district has seven dual-classroom portable facilities with 14 classroom spaces, used for support programs, such as early learning and specialized services, at its elementary schools.

“We could close one entire elementary school with the portable and still be under our (capacity),” Cooper said during the meeting. “Things change, needs change, and the board and the districts to be on top of those changes.”

According to the plan, the district’s capital facilities needs include two additional portables (estimated cost $1.2 million), a maintenance warehouse ($1.4 million) and a future school site ($2 million).

The district exercised an option in the fall of 2024 to purchase a 31-acre piece of property in northeast Washougal for a future school but backed out of it in February after determining that a series of environmental issues would, in its view, make construction on the lot unviable.

“I believe that it is also prudent that such a purchase remains on the table as the vision of public education changes over the decades,” Cooper said. “As each of the ‘school-size’ parcels remaining in our area gets developed into housing, land prices are increasing significantly. It is my opinion that the continued search for property that may be needed to accommodate long-term future growth and the changing needs for future K-12 educational facilities would be wise.”

The capital facilities plan references the city of Washougal’s efforts to prepare for population growth during the next 20 years, with 24,874 residents projected by 2045.

“For the Washougal School District, this projected growth carries important implications,” the plan states. “Over the next five years, the district expects continued enrollment decline due to an aging population and the delayed build-out of major housing developments. However, between 2028 and 2030, student enrollment is projected to stabilize and then gradually increase as new families move into completed residential areas. By 2045, enrollment is expected to surpass current levels, reaching an estimated 3,250 students. This trend underscores the importance of maintaining flexibility in school facility planning, balancing short-term enrollment shifts with long-term capacity needs.”

District unveils 2025-26 budget

District finance director Shelese McConnell presented the district’s preliminary budget for 2025-26 during the June 10 meeting.

The budget projects the district will spend $51.7 million from its general fund, with about 82 percent of expenditures paying the salaries and benefits for certificated and classified staff members and the remaining 12 percent paying for materials, supplies and other expenses.

In April, the district announced its intentions to cut between six and 10 positions in an effort to reduce a $1.5 million budget deficit for the 2025-26 school year. The school district expects to have 2,438 full-time equivalent students for the 2025-26 school year, a 4 percent decrease from 2024-25. The number is forecasted to continue to 2,358 in 2028-29.

“The student enrollment plays a huge part in the revenue,” McConnell said during the June 10 meeting. “As our student enrollment goes down, our state apportionment, which makes the largest piece of our revenue, also goes down, which is where the reduction in expenditures comes in.”

The budget, which forecasts a revenue total of $51.8 million, includes a $50,000 transfer to the district’s capital projects fund for a turf replacement project, and an estimated ending fund balance of $3.8 million (7 percent). It also includes investments in the district’s dual-language programming, arts, athletics, capital projects, Advanced Placement courses, project-based learning opportunities, industry certifications and social-emotional learning support, according to the district.

The board will vote to adopt the budget during its Aug. 26 meeting. For more information about the budget, visit washougal.k12.wa.us/district-budget-infor mation.

Doug Flanagan: 360-735-4669; doug.flanagan@columbian.com