Growth needs

Addressing enrollment growth and how to do that was the subject of a presentation by Cheney School District officials to the Airway Heights City Council Monday night, March 7.

According to information distributed at the meeting, the school district has grown by over 1,000 students since 2005, with the district’s executive director of finance, Kassidy Probert, telling the council it’s projected to continue to grow by 500 students over the next five years.

To handle the growth, the district passed a bond measure in 2010 to build two new middle schools and an elementary school, two of which – Westwood Middle School and Snowdon Elementary School – were constructed on the West Plains near the West Terrace and Geiger Heights developments. A bond measure last year to modernize and expand the district’s only high school in Cheney failed, twice.

To gather information and concerns from residents about Cheney Public Schools, the district instituted an online survey program last fall called Thoughtexchange. District Superintendent Dr. Debra Clemens told the council Thoughtexchange is different from other surveys in that respondents were asked open-ended rather than specific questions.

The fall survey indicated respondents valued the district’s teachers, staff, communication and learning environment. Clemens said two main areas of concern came out of the fall discussion — growth in enrollment and facilities needed to accommodate it.

A second Thoughtexchange round this winter sought engagement from the community on both these topics. That round has recently ended, and a consultant is compiling the feedback for the district.

Probert said the next step is to conduct a survey, partly funded by a state grant, on the district’s existing facilities. That survey, performed every six years and to be done by Design West, will help the district develop a long-range plan to deal with needs based on projected population and economic growth, bond and debt capacity and other factors.

Probert said they would look at the cost benefits of expanding facilities compared to modernization via new construction while also developing a timeline for construction and an idea where in the district the population is projected to grow most.

This information is scheduled to go to the district’s board of directors in April, after which it and the Thoughtexchange data will be used in community conversations. Associate superintendent Sean Dotson said the idea in the three spring conversations is to develop facility options for the district, which will be part of a third Thoughtexchange survey in fall 2016.

“This has to be a decision from our communities to say yes, we support this going forward,” Dotson said.

Another three conversations take place in November. All of the data will be compiled, with the results given to the board in December to make a decision on running another bond ballot measure in February 2017.

Clemens said the district plans to aggressively advertise the entire process, publicizing it and sending information not only to parents but others.

“We want to hear from more than our parents,” she said. “We want to hear from our community members as well.”

Councilman Dave Malet asked Clemens if the growth experienced by the district so far matched the projections it was given from an earlier survey, noting the locations of the two new West Plains schools and that growth had occurred in other areas as well.

Clemens said the previous survey was accurate, and that after lying dormant due to the 2007 – 2009 recession, developments approved prior to the economic downturn are now taking off. Developments in other areas such as Eagle Ridge nearer State Route 195 are also experiencing rapid growth.

“It’s starting to take off here (Airway Heights) too,” Malet said.

“He just wants to know if eventually, in the future, we’ll have a high school here,” Mayor Kevin Richey added.

Clemens said people want to have a school nearby as part of their community. Building new schools also comes with increased costs such as staff and materials, as well as the facility itself.

Malet replied that new schools also increase real estate growth because developers will build around the new facilities.

Community Conversations schedule

Spring Fall

May 17 – Sunset Elementary School Nov. 8 – Sunset Elementary School

May 18 – Cheney High School Nov. 9 – Cheney High School

May 19 – Westwood Middle School Nov. 10 – Westwood Middle School

All conversations are scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m.

John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.