January 2024

Welcome to Foundations, an e-newsletter focused on highlighting how our community's tax dollars through bonds and levies support student learning and achievement while modernizing and maintaining our school buildings.

Replacement Educational Programs & Operations Levy Passes

KSD extends our gratitude to everyone who took the time to vote. The passage of the Replacement Educational Programs and Operations Levy will help to provide a world-class education to our students and support our staff.



Although the Capital & Technology Levy did not pass, together with our school board, we are looking at all options and evaluating our next steps. These funds are needed to effectively continue supporting our students on their educational journey by providing upgrades to safety and security along with technology education needed to produce global citizens.

Kentlake High School Hosts Safety Training

Preparation is inherent to the Kentlake High School culture, manifested in their annual safety training on November 29. For this event, Kentlake partnered with Mountainview Fire and Rescue, King County Sheriff's Office, and TAC-30 to cover various topics, including first aid, search and rescue tactics, communication with first responders, and reunification strategies.



The Educational Programs & Operations Levy positively impacts safety in our schools, funding 75% of our safety and security personnel; the state only provides funding for 25% of these positions.

We are highlighting a couple of the roof replacements that have been completed in the last few years. Both East Hill Elementary and Sunrise Elementary received a full roof replacement. This was a tear off down to the deck, with decking and structural repairs as needed, in addition to the installation of a vapor barrier, double insulation, cover board, self-adhered base sheet, torch applied smooth membrane, and torch applied granulated cap sheet.

These two projects help keep our buildings dry, warm, and functional for our students. The roof replacements were funded by the 2016 bond (East Hill) and the 2018 Capital & Technology Levy (Sunrise).



Over the summer, the flooring at Crestwood Elementary was replaced with funds provided by the 2018 Levy. Originally, new flooring was only scheduled for the multipurpose room and gym, but due to the flexibility to change the scope of projects afforded by the levy and additional cost savings from other levy projects, the entire school's flooring was replaced. Thank you to the custodial and maintenance staff along with the contractor who supported this work including:

• Moving furniture as needed.

• Removing existing material and prepping floor.

• Installing carpet, Spartacote, and resilient rubber flooring throughout building.

• Installing new base and transition strips.

Another project completed this last summer with 2018 Levy funds was painting and asphalt repair at Springbrook Elementary. This work involved:



• Pressure washing, scraping, sanding, and spot priming.

• Replacing rotten facia boards.

• Caulking and sealing joints on trim and siding.

• Masking and painting two finish coats over all wood soffits, trim, and siding.

There was an opportunity with the asphalt repair at Springbrook to save money. It was found that the condition of the existing asphalt allowed for use as a compact base and had a grade that allowed the existing layer to be overlayed, resulting in

savings for both demolition and compaction.

Kent School District Hosts Representative Chris Stearns in School Tours

Group photo outside of River Ridge Elementary School.

In late November, Rep. Chris Stearns (D-Auburn) toured two of our schools with School Board President Margel, Legislative Representative Clark, Superintendent Vela, and district administrators to better understand how significant funding is for capital project expenses, as well as see the difference between two schools that have been touched by different degrees of local funding. The Washington Association of Maintenance and Operation Administrators (WAMOA) facilitated the tours. 

The first stop was River Ridge Elementary School, which opened in 2021 and currently serves 625 pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade students. Kent School District successfully passed a bond in 2016, which funded the necessary $40.8M to build the school, with Washington State contributing $4.1M. When asked about the importance of participating in the tours, Rep. Stearns said: "To better understand the needs of the teachers and students, as there are many factors for students to receive their education." While walking through the almost brand-new facilities, the group saw evidence of a positive school climate, where students strongly emphasized kindness to others.

The second and final stop was Meridian Middle School, KSD's oldest middle school. Initially built in 1956, it serves 655 students in grades six through eight. There have been several additions to the building over the last sixty years. KSD plans to eventually replace the school with a future bond measure, as the facilities have reached the end of their useful life and need modernization. The group also observed a very healthy school climate here; the theme "Striving for Excellence" was seen throughout the school campus. Commenting on the tours at both schools, Rep. Stearns stated: "Unless you are in the schools regularly, you don't appreciate what the conditions are like."

Our KSD maintenance and facilities teams are the gold standard, taking excellent care of our buildings and supporting students daily. However, when faced with unsatisfactory building life conditions in 15 schools and poor conditions in another nine schools (According to the Bond Planning Task Force analyses data), the conversation quickly shifts to outright building replacement instead of the costly extension of its useful life. 

But who is supposed to cover the immense financial costs of replacement and modernization? According to the Washington State Supreme Court ruling in September, it's still the responsibility of the school districts to rely on their community's tax dollars to build and maintain their facilities. The existing process requires districts to provide money upfront before being considered for funds from the state's School Construction Assistance Program. This represents a systemic issue for districts confronting difficulty passing a bond or levy measure.

In lieu of state funding for capital projects and new building construction, KSD relies on our community to provide the necessary funding through bonds and capital levies. These critical pieces of our budget go directly towards safety and security, maintenance, technology, and building facilities that live up to our district's standard of education for all students. There is still hope for future legislation change, but until then, KSD must rely on our community to provide clean, safe, and modern facilities where students can learn and grow. Rep. Stearns said it best when discussing the students who utilize our buildings daily: "They are the future of our society." 

Group photo outside Meridian Middle School.

In Comfortable Environments, Students Thrive

Ryan Snow

Ryan Snow is an HVAC technician that works hard to provide our students the comfortable environments that enable them to focus on academics. We're proud to call him Team KSD and to feature him this month!



Tell me a little about yourself in a personal as well as a professional capacity. 

I am a proud husband and father of 2 children. My wife, Andrea, and I have a daughter named Rowan who is 7 years old, and our son Radley is 16 months old. I worked in sales management for roughly 16 years before going to school at Bates Technical College and completing my degree in HVAC and Refrigeration in the summer of 2020.  

How long have you worked for the Kent School District and what's the journey that brought you here?

I've worked for the Kent School District for two and a half years. When I was completing school, I began the process of searching for employment, and was grateful that the Kent School District granted me an interview for a position in their HVAC team. 

What do you think is important about the spaces students occupy to facilitate learning and personal growth?

The spaces that students occupy to help facilitate learning and personal growth need to be clean, dry, well lit, and at a comfortable temperature. The entire maintenance team works tirelessly to provide these necessary tools to help the students at the Kent School District succeed in their education and personal growth.

In your experience, what would you say is the biggest reward in being an HVAC professional?

Personally, the biggest reward as an HVAC professional is the daily challenge of what needs to be done to help our students succeed. Every day as an HVAC technician in the Kent School District there are many challenges that present themselves to the team. There are 3.8 million square feet of building space covered by five technicians, and each of the 54 locations (including schools and administration buildings) provides its own unique challenges due to the substantial diversity in the age of the equipment per building. From steam radiators to pneumatic and digital controls to geothermal water sourced heat pumps, there are always many challenges that arise that must be addressed, and we look forward to working diligently to make the necessary fixes to help our students and faculty members.

Looking forward, what are you most excited about this school year?

I am looking forward to the many challenges that will present themselves, and working hard at completing the tasks to help students with their education and development. Also, working as a member of the HVAC team. We work collaboratively for the enrichment and success of the Kent School District and take great pride in helping with the success of all students and employees.

Bond & Levy Project Completion Reports

Our Capital Planning & Facilities team has been hard at work for our students this past spring and summer. They have created updated lists of 2016 Bond projects and the 2018 Technology and Capital Levy projects that have been completed or are in progress.

For more information, please visit our website.

Do you have a student or staff member to feature in Foundations?

Let us know at FeatureThis@kent.k12.wa.us