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Planning Tahoma’s Future: Survey Results and Next Steps

Hello Tahoma Families and Community Members,

Last night, we held a work study session with the Tahoma School Board to summarize the two years of intensive work completed by the Capital Facilities Committee (CFC). The conversation about the future of Tahoma facilities will continue on May 26, when the Committee brings a recommendation to the school board for a 25-year Capital Facilities Plan. The final 25-year Capital Facilities Plan recommendation is scheduled to be presented to the School Board for consideration for official approval on June 9. We will continue to keep you updated as we move toward this final milestone.

We recently asked for your input on the future of our schools, and the response was incredible. With over 660 staff members, 3,600 students and 1,300 community members participating, the Capital Facilities Committee had a robust data set to draw from when considering their recommendations for Tahoma’s facilities.

As you may remember from the survey, we asked staff members, students, and families whether we should shift our grade bands to K-6, 7-9, and 10-12 to manage building capacity and growth at Tahoma High School. There was consensus across all groups (Staff: 68%, Students: 65%, Families: 53%) to remain as we are now (K-5, 6-8, 9-12).

Three pie charts showing staff, students, and families preferring to stay "as-is" with grade bands

The committee is recommending honoring this preference. Simultaneously, since enrollment is expected to continue slowly rising at THS for the next 7 years, the committee also recommended developing a contingency plan to pivot should enrollment exceed our predictions and we find ourselves in need of adjusting our grade bands in the future. In addition, the committee will recommend adding one double portable at THS to create some additional classroom space. 

Long-Term Facilities Roadmap
Looking further ahead, the committee has identified the following priorities:

  • A New Maple View Middle School: Building a new facility on district-owned land next to Summit Trail. This would accomplish a much-needed facility upgrade to Maple View, a space at the current Maple View to house elementary students and staff members when their schools are being remodeled, and a viable site for a 2nd high school should we need one in the future.
  • Tahoma Elementary Modernization: A full seismic (earthquake) retrofit and modernization to ensure the long-term safety and viability of the building.

These options were also included in the input survey, and both staff and families indicated support for prioritizing building a new Maple View Middle School on the land next to Summit Trail Middle School.

Two pie charts showing majority of staff and community voting in favor of building a new Maple View campus

We aren't just planning for today; we are planning for the next 25 years of Tahoma schools. The committee will meet every March to review enrollment data and ensure our 25-year plan stays on track. Our goals are to be prepared for evolving needs, maintain your schools, remain flexible, and continually reassess the needs of our students.

Please join us in thanking the members of the Capital Facilities Committee. This 35 member committee worked tirelessly over a two-year time period to engage in deep analysis of our building conditions and future enrollment projections, and to make the best possible recommendations given the constraints and opportunities shaping our schools

We are proud to partner with a community that is so deeply invested in the environment where our children learn and grow. Thank you for your input and support!