Centralia School District 401

NEWSLETTER
WINTER
2017

SCHOOL BOARD DISCUSSES BOND

IN OPEN LETTER
School facilities averaging 70 years old are facing critical need for modernization and replacement, says Board of Directors
Our Board of Directors unanimously voted to place a $74 Jefferson Lincoln is at 132 percent of capacity and
million bond measure on the February 2017 ballot. This was built in 1957. Fords Prairie, at 125 percent
funding will allow the district to replace Centralia High of capacity, was built in 1947. In both buildings
School with a like-new facility on the existing foundation, electrical systems are unsafe, neither has a fire
and to replace Jefferson Lincoln and Fords Prairie schools suppression system, and both are very susceptible to
with new K-6 facilities. With these enhancements, the extreme damage in the event of an earthquake.
district will also reconfigure the remaining elementary
Amy Buzzard schools to K-6 schools and make much needed safety and Centralia High School is becoming more difficult to
President maintain and repair. Parts for aged systems are difficult
security enhancements at every building. Upon passage,
the state will provide roughly $27 million in additional to find, and the building lacks a sufficient electrical
matching funds to enhance the projects. system to provide access to technologies necessary for
students success in a modern world.
This is a plan that was built with community input. Over
the past spring, and again in September, we surveyed the We have an emergency situation that requires
community and found that building improvements were immediate action in order to create safe and functional
high on your list of priorities. You identified modernizing learning environments for Centralia students. Now, more
Bob Fuller CHS as a critical need, as well as the replacement of our than ever, our schools need your help.
Vice President elementary schools with modern, safe facilities that would This isnt just about shiny new buildings. In order for
eliminate the use of portable classrooms. We considered us to provide the level of quality in education that you
your input, along with data from a year-long study of rightfully demand, we must invest in our facilities. It is
our facilities, which involved more than 40 community difficult to move forward in 21st Century education using
representatives. From that work, this plan for improvement tools and buildings designed in the 1940s and earlier.
was born.
Our buildings stand in the way of us providing additional
The facts are astounding: programs and courses to students. Upgrading our facilities
Kim Ashmore The average age of schools in Centralia is 70 years. The will help put them on an equal footing with neighboring
average age of our elementary buildings is 76 years. districts. It will allow us to expand the introduction of
new technologies and programs, and it will allow our
It has been 31 years since Centralia voters last outstanding teachers the opportunity to work with tools
approved a modernization project in our district that will help their students reach their fullest potential.
(Centralia Middle School and Edison Elementary).
The state does not fund the construction or
It has been 49 years since the last new school modernization of school buildings. That responsibility
facility (CHS) was built, and it has never been has belonged to communities since the first teacher taught
modernized or upgraded. Since then, the population in the Borst home. It is up to us to determine the best path
Jami Lund of our city has grown by more than 6,700 people. forward for our educational system. We own it together,
Our schools are old, overcrowded, and woefully and together we own our results.
inadequate in terms of functional ability to meet the The proposed bond is estimated to cost $2.12 per $1,000 in
demands of a modern education. property value. Low income seniors may be exempt from
There are more than 50 portable classrooms in use paying this tax (please contact your county assessor).
today. They house a student population equivalent to This is an amazing community that has always supported
that of two of our elementary schools. These buildings education. We thank you for your past and future support,
Neal Kirby are not meant to be permanent structures; they are not and for entrusting us with the care and education of your
safe, and cannot be secured effectively in emergencies. children.

Documents from the facilities master planning process are available online at
www.CentraliaSchools.org.
Its Time For Our Schools
Superintendent Mark Davalos offers rationale behind proposal to reconfigure elementary schools to K-6 facilities.
February 14 is rapidly approaching.
Valentines Day isnt the only significant
event this year, its Election Day! I want
to speak to you with a strong sense of
urgency and hope about our bond
proposal. I believe my words
speak for many in this
community who want
to provide the best
for our students that
includes modernizing
our schools to provide save learning environments
capable of supporting modern technology and
teaching techniques. We are working hard to raise
results and see higher achievement scores to help put
our students in a position equal to their peers across
the state. We want our students and teachers to excel.
We can do so much more together as a community. Our
Board of Directors has made it clear that our facilities
are old, in disrepair and in need of change. The Board
demanded a full Master Planning Facility Review and
40-50 Centralia citizens participated in the process.
This committee of citizens studied the details of our
building history, evaluated our structures, building
ratings and current usage to arrive at a consensus
for a plan to modernize our facilities.
Their work identified many priorities and one
conclusion I took from the overall process
is that we have waited a long time to take
action. Schools normally have 30-50 year
life spans and all of our schools are older
than that. These conclusions, combined with the
feedback from our recent community survey, led our Board
of Directors to authorize the placement of a $74,000,000 bond on
Our Commitment
We are committed to a completely transparent bond
process from start to finish. The CSD will provide
regular updates to the community on the budgeting,
design, construction, and occupation phases of each
building project.
We value the input, trust of our community and
the opportunity to collaborate with you to make
our schools better. There will be opportunities for
citizens to serve on design committees.
Conceptual drawing. Final design subject to board and
Mark Davalos, Superintendent
the February ballot. This financing will allow us to build a like-new
Centralia High School and replace two elementary schools in our
system. We will also reconfigure all of our elementary schools into
K-6 facilities.
Our long term plan for improvement includes
transitioning all of our elementary schools to K-6
facilities. Research supports the Neighborhood
School concept with students and families
having seven years in one school community.
Bus rides will be shorter, families and staff
will be better connected and students wont
experience an early transition that disrupts
learning and socialization. Our plans for
school gymnasiums begins to answer
the call for better physical education
opportunities. They will also provide an
outlet for youth, adult and year-long wellness
activities around these neighborhood school options we
have never had. Our learning space designs will allow for greater
instruction and exploration in modern learning topics such
as STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts &
math). Our high school is looking at new
scheduling structures that will make the best
of improved learning space and address the
need for modern learning topics, training and
accelerated course offerings. We are clear in
our charge to lift Centralias educational position
upwards and we are focused on doing the work
and embracing the future.
IT IS TIME for our buildings needs to be met, but it
is also time for our schools to meet the future head
on and fulfill our educational aspirations that result
in preparing Centralias students for an exciting and
fulfilling life beyond high school. IT IS TIME!
community input.
 Leaping Literacy!
Teachers in the CSD are adopting pioneering
new teaching methods to instill a love for
reading in early learners. The long term goal -
improved lifetime educational outcomes.

Photo: Students in Mrs. Johnsons kindergarten class engage in a reading

lesson using a tablet computer.

I
f you visit Sandy Johnsons kindergarten classroom at Edison Recent state assessment data supports her findings. Centralia has
Elementary during reading time, something may seem strange seen mixed results in literacy proficiency in recent years according
to those accustomed to traditional reading lessons. In one to the Smarter Balanced assessment used by the state to deter-
corner of the room you may find a group clustered around a tablet, mine student learning performance. Grande and her team set out
reading a text about cars or sports. Another may be reading about to find a solution.
ballerinas. In both cases, the lesson being learned is the same, its
Delegates from each elementary school attended literacy

the content and method of delivery thats different. The same scene
conferences in Spokane and Boston over the summer break.
is becoming familiar in classrooms across Centralia.
Each conference was an opportunity for staff to collaborate with
Elementary teachers throughout the district are pioneering new other teachers and experts in the field, and to become experts
techniques in their classrooms that are designed themselves. This opportunity, for the first time in
to improve student engagement in lessons. The good old days of my 36 years in Centralia, made me feel like we are
Presenting in ways that are relevant to each sitting students in neat valued in this district as professional teachers,
individual student, rather than by relying on said Julie Broom (2nd grade, Fords Prairie). Her
one standard text for everyone. Its called little rows to learn the sentiment was echoed by her colleagues during the
choice reading. Students learn together about same lesson the same board meeting.
literacy topics like inference, for example.
They are then tasked with finding examples
way are long gone. The teachers who attended the conferences came
back to Centralia train their colleagues, and the
of inference in texts that they have selected
practices that were developed during summer meetings were put
themselves. In theory, the practice helps students stay interested
into practice this fall. Administrators and teachers wont have to
in the lesson longer. A boy, for example, may not be interested
wait for the next round of state assessments to see if their efforts
in a story about ballerinas, however in a standardized text
are netting results. The district has invested in tools that give
environment, that may be the only choice they have for the lesson.
real-time student progress measurements, which will further help
That doesnt always bring positive results according to Ann Grande,
create lesson plans for individual students based on their areas of
a district instructional coach.
need.
Grande gave a presentation to the districts Board of Directors in
With these new practices and tools in place, Im expecting to
December. It focused on the districts recent redirection of efforts
see a tremendous improvement in literacy growth over the next
in early literacy. Her conclusion was that old methods no longer
few years, said Kristy Vetter, Executive Director of Teaching
work in 21st century classrooms where students come from
and Learning. We have amazing teachers in Centralia and we
many different socio-economic backgrounds. The good old days
are going to make whatever investments are necessary to help
of sitting students in neat little rows to learn the same lesson the
maximize the benefit our students can receive from their expertise
same way are long gone, says Grande.
and dedication.

Students from Centralia High Schools

Did early childhood education class are
partnering with Kindergarten teachers

YOU at Fords Prairie this year to help give

young students a boost in reading. These

KNOW?
literacy agents work one-on-one with
younger students to engage them in lessons
designed to help improve the acquisition of
reading skills. 7
 0610, (360) 330-7600.
Avenue, Post Office Box 610, Centralia, WA 98531-
Matt McCauley, Assistant Superintendent, 2320 Borst
Title IX/RCW28.A640 Officer, Section 504 Coordinator,
procedures may be directed to the school districts
ties. Inquiries regarding compliance and/or grievance
holds true for all district employment and opportuni-
POSTAL PATRON or service animal by a person with a disability. This
physical disability, or the use of a trained dog guide
marital status, the presence of any sensory, mental,
gender, sexual orientation including gender identity,
age, honorably-discharged veterans or military status,
basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin,
and regulations and does not discriminate on the
District #401 complies with all federal and state rules
Equal Rights Compliance - The Centralia School

Carrier Route Sorted centralia.k12.wa.us

Centralia, WA 98531 2320 Borst Ave. | Centralia, WA 98531
Permit #214
PAID NEWSLETTER
U.S. Postage
Non-Profit Organization
SCHOOL DISTRICT

Important Dates Frequently Asked Bond Questions

To Remember Find more online at www.CentraliaSchools.org/facilities
How much will this cost?

1
15 School Board Meeting @
FEB District Office Boardroom The total bond request is up to $74 million, with a 25 year term. The
5:30 p.m.
2018 estimate is for $2.12 per $1,000 in assessed value. All property
owners, commercial or residential pay, as do renters (indirectly). As
17 TWO HOUR EARLY RELEASE community property values increase, the cost per thousand will decrease.
FEB All schools
Why So much? Why now?
20
FEB
NO SCHOOL
Presidents Day 2 The condition of most of our schools has reached a critical point. They
are overcrowded and quickly becoming unsafe due to decades of lack of
investment in improvements. The last bond in Centralia was passed in
1986, it only modernized two schools. Since then, we have not invested
24 TWO HOUR EARLY RELEASE into keeping our buildings modern and up-to-date. CHS has never been
FEB All schools modernized in its 49 year history.

Who Came up with this plan? Why do we pay for this?

3
15 School Board Meeting @
MAR District Office Boardroom This plan was developed through more than a year of facilities studies
5:30 p.m. and work by our Facilities Master Planning Committee, made up of more
than 45 community members. The state does not pay for school construc-
20 tion or modernization. They make matching funds available to communi-
NO SCHOOL - Presidents Day ties who show willingness to invest in their schools through the passage
FEB
of bonds. In our case, $27 million is available in state matching funds.

Two Hour Early Release Im a senior citizen, how will this affect me?

4
24
FEB All Schools
Low income senior citizens may be exempt from paying this additional
tax. You should contact your county tax assessor for more information.
The Lewis County Assessor can be reached at (360)740-1392.

Ballots must be How can I be assured the money will be spent as

5
postmarked by promised?
February 14th! Bonds are highly transparent funding tools. We can only legally spend
the funds as outlined in our November resolution. Anything else requires
additional voter approval. We will provide regular reports to the
community about the projects from start to finish.