Vancouver Public Schools will start the new year with a series of public forums to address the proposed removal of an elementary school from its slate of bond-funded projects.
District voters approved a $458 million bond to build new schools and improve existing facilities throughout the district, with another $93 million in state matching funds and grants bringing the total project budget to $551 million.
But officials at the 23,000-student district say a proposed new neighborhood elementary school, located at 8614 N.E. 25th Ave., is no longer economically feasible or needed in light of declining enrollment. The district said that a 6 percent inflation in the cost of construction materials and labor is “higher than expected,” necessitating adjustments to the list of bond projects.
The campus, if built, would draw students from five surrounding elementary schools: Dwight D. Eisenhower, Hazel Dell, Minnehaha, Sarah J. Anderson and Walnut Grove. Collective enrollment at the five schools has steadily declined in the last five years from 3,146 students in 2014-2015 to 2,996 students in 2018-2019, according to data from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.
