Olympia School District has backed out of plan for 3rd high school on park site. Here’s why
With the Olympia School District facing difficult budget conversations and possible school closures, Superintendent Patrick Murphy has quietly sent the city’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee a letter stating the district would be withdrawing from a plan to co-locate a high school on Yelm Highway park property.
The advisory committee met Jan. 18 and reviewed the letter, as well as the revised concept for the future park site, which will be an 83-acre community space with dedicated soccer fields.
Murphy said in his letter the decision came after considerable internal review of feasibility information and changed circumstances. He said it first has to do with updated enrollment projections.
“Updated District enrollment projections indicate that our student population will decline in a manner that requires us to adjust future capacity planning,” he said. “Previous estimates informed our decision to acquire additional land for new schools. However, based on the updated analysis, our demographics and population projections have changed significantly.”
He said the consistent trend of decreasing enrollment has reduced the need for added capacity into the foreseeable future.
But Murphy said enrollment wasn’t the only issue.
He said the agreement with the City of Olympia required the district to get appraisals of the two Yelm Highway land parcels. Murphy said that work revealed a substantial discrepancy between the value of the district’s property and the portion of the city property intended for the future school.
“This deviation is problematic as, without further review and validation, it could result in an inequitable exchange that disadvantages the District and, consequently, the taxpayers and students we serve,” Murphy said.
Olympia City Manager Jay Burney said while city officials are disappointed, they understand the district’s need to adjust to the shifting realities of future enrollments and revenue.
“The City of Olympia values our continued friendship with the school district and our continued partnership across multiple initiatives and facilities,” he said. “It was based on our long friendship that, when the school district approached us in 2020 and asked to be included in our ongoing planning for the Yelm Highway Community Park, we pivoted to a new vision for the site.”
Burney said the city’s appraisals didn’t show the exchange of OSD property for city property was unbalanced. However, he said, the city understands the district’s appraisals showed different numbers and that it weighed into its decision to withdraw from the plan.
Burney said city officials will be re-engaging the public about new plans for the Yelm Highway Community Park without a school. The current revised plan shows five large synthetic turf fields, a lawn, 12 pickleball courts, basketball courts, a wetland and more.
He said OSD’s withdrawal from the plan will likely mean an extended timeline for a finished park.
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