Cedarcrest surplus saves thousands

The exciting transformation of Cedarcrest Middle School is officially underway as demolition crews have already begun clearing the old site to make way for a brand-new era. What began as a modernization plan under our voter-approved 2019 School Construction Bond has successfully evolved into a complete, state-of-the-art school rebuild, thanks to careful planning and additional state funding. The new Cedarcrest will be a beautiful, three-story, 123,000-square-foot building featuring 39 modern classrooms. Designed to expand capacity from 700 to 850 students, the new school will ensure our students have the room they need to thrive when it opens its doors in the fall of 2028. As we look toward the future, the district has remained committed to being excellent stewards of your tax dollars. Before the heavy machinery arrived, district staff successfully executed a massive, coordinated salvage and relocation effort to ensure the hardware and utility of the old building live on. Rather than letting functional equipment go to waste, hundreds of items were carefully inventoried, claimed, and have already been disbursed to schools across the district. This sustainability initiative has allowed your tax dollars to stretch even further. Bethel Middle School has already received a massive haul including 30 classroom whiteboards, specialized kitchen equipment, and dozens of storage racks and stools. Pioneer Valley Elementary and Graham Elementary have taken in hundreds of chairs and student desks to completely outfit several of their portables. Furthermore, essential office equipment, library bookshelves, and teacher desks have been integrated into Liberty Middle School and Kapowsin Elementary. By repurposing these items across the district, the Bethel School District has minimized environmental waste and saved thousands of dollars in new equipment costs for other buildings. Change is happening fast, and we are incredibly grateful for a community that continues to invest in the future of our students. Thank you, voters! We look forward to sharing more construction updates as we build a bigger, brighter future for Cedarcrest Middle School.