MEDICAL LAKE, Wash. — A bill moving through the Washington Legislature could bring $14 million in state funding to the Medical Lake School District for much-needed renovations at Hallett Elementary School.
The elementary school has reached capacity and hasn’t seen renovations in more than 30 years, but the district can’t access state matching funds because of how Washington calculates school funding.
The problem stems from another school in the district — Michael Anderson Elementary on Fairchild Air Force Base — that hasn’t reached its 600-student capacity. Only about 400 students are enrolled there.
Under current state rules, districts can’t access funding for one school if another school in the district has available space. But civilian students can’t simply transfer to the on-base school due to security restrictions.
“You can’t just shift people over, because they’re not military connected. These students aren’t necessarily able to go into military installations. It’s a secure facility,” said Washington State Sen. Leonard Christian.
Christian explains that buildings on military bases are usually built with many functions in mind, so a school could just as soon be a hospital. This makes it unlikely Michael Anderson Elementary will ever reach capacity.
Christian is sponsoring Senate Bill 5901, which would change how school districts with military bases calculate their funding eligibility.
Senator Marcus Riccelli is a co-sponsor.
The bill has bipartisan support and is now heading to the Senate Ways and Means Committee.
“$14 million that we would be eligible for, in terms of state matching funds,” said Dr. Kimberly Headrick, superintendent of Medical Lake School District.
Dr. Headrick testified in support of SB 5901 during the Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education.
Without the state funding, Medical Lake residents would have to pay for the renovations through local taxes. Many community members are still rebuilding from the devastating Gray wildfire of June 2023, making the financial burden particularly challenging.
“Placing that burden on our taxpayers would be extremely difficult,” Headrick said.
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