Part 3: White Salmon Valley School District's two-school, one-campus model unlocks greater state funding

Part 1 looked at aging Whitson Elementary, which has become cost-prohibitive to run. Part 2 looked at the proposed changes at Columbia High School (CHS) and Henkle Middle School / Wallace & Priscilla Stevenson Intermediate School (HMS / WPSIS) that would create a one-campus, two-school model (K–6 and 7–12).

Now, in part 3 looks at School Construction Assistance Program (SCAP) funding and why enrollment numbers don’t support three schools.

State funding

If WSVSD passes its bond, it could receive almost $34 million in SCAP funding, which is based on the square footage of a project. This means that for approximately every $2 the community invests, the state would give $1.

“If we built at Whitson Elementary School, then our SCAP funding would be limited to its square footage,” Superintendent Rich Polkinghorn said. “We would not be able to use any state construction funding for the middle school or high school projects.

“The state gave us their blessing on closing Whitson and remodeling Henkle/WPSIS and the high school — they consider all that building space as one big campus,” he said. “So that unlocked a lot more money for us. This bond will really be able to address the critical needs at both of those schools.”

SCAP funding is also based on enrollment, and, for a limited time, the district can take advantage of a state provision that allows the use of its 2019 enrollment number — 350 more students than are currently registered. The catch is that provision continues only through 2026.

“If we went out for this bond a year from now, we wouldn’t be able to take advantage of that provision,” Polkinghorn said. “That provision gives us an additional $8 million in SCAP funding. So the timing was a critical decision piece of doing it now versus waiting.”

Additional cost savings

The two-school model will also improve operational efficiency by enabling resource sharing across grade levels, reducing duplication, and creating collaboration opportunities that weren't possible with separate, outdated facilities, Polkinghorn said.

"In a preliminary analysis, we have identified more than $500,000 in potential operational efficiencies that could be realized if the bond passes," he said. "Once realized, these cost savings would be reinvested back into our students and schools."

Enrollment realities

Enrollment numbers are down statewide, and WSVSD is no exception. Polkinghorn said in November that enrollment trends no longer support three schools. “You go back to 2018, pre-pandemic, and we have enrollment of almost 1,300 students,” he said. “There’s been a steady decline for the past five or six years.”

As previously reported by Columbia Gorge News, WSVSD expects an estimated enrollment of about 850 students by 2034, continuing the trend of smaller incoming kindergarten classes compared to the previous year’s graduating seniors.

“That’s why we’re going with the two school approach — because enrollment would not allow for [three],” Polkinghorn said in September. “It allows us to think about our operations, and operating two schools is less expensive than three schools. Getting down to two facilities will save us operational dollars as well.”

‘Unique moment’

The updated buildings will include stronger safety systems, modern and flexible learning spaces, energy-efficient infrastructure, and improved accessibility

“It has been more than 35 years since we’ve made a significant investment in our school facilities,” Board Chair Peter Harkema told Columbia Gorge News. “This is a unique moment to take advantage of a significant state contribution and dramatically reduce overall operation and maintenance of aging facilities.

“The plan was developed by a community group and will create modernized instructional space for students and greatly improve school safety,” he continued. “District facilities will also provide important community resources like new gym space, new playgrounds and an enhanced musical performance space, so these investments will be a benefit to our whole community.”

Ballots will be mailed this Friday, Jan. 23. More information on the district’s ballot measures (the Educational Programs & Operations Levy, or EP&O, is also up for renewal) can be found at wsvsd.org/page/bond-levy, and in the Klickitat County and Skamania County Local Voters’ Pamphlets.