Enumclaw School District seeks $12 million capital levy; explores developer-funded elementary in Black Diamond

Enumclaw School District officials told the Enumclaw City Council on March 24 that aging school buildings and projected enrollment gains require immediate maintenance funding and longer-term planning for new capacity.

The district is asking voters to approve a four-year capital levy of $12 million on the April 22 ballot to pay for critical maintenance—roofs, HVAC and kitchen equipment, secure entry upgrades and similar repairs—not for staffing. Deputy Superintendent Jill Burns said the district would ask property owners for an estimated increase of $0.37 per $1,000 of assessed value; Burns and district presenters gave an example that a $600,000 house would pay roughly $18.50 more per month while the levy runs.

The request follows a yearlong citizen focus committee of about 21 residents from Enumclaw and Black Diamond that studied building audits and growth. The committee found multiple facilities—Kibler, Birth to 5 site, Southwood and Westwood—at or near the end of their useful life and classified Enumclaw Middle School as showing rapid deterioration or in need of critical-systems replacement. The committee recommended three things: run a capital facilities levy soon, continue negotiations with Oak Point to address growth, and (later) consider a larger elementary if a future bond is viable.

Why it matters: the district faces accelerated enrollment. District presenters said enrollment is forecast to grow about 22% in five years and 36.6% in 10 years; staff identified 18 active or planned housing projects in the district totaling about 2,780 units, with roughly 80% of that growth in Black Diamond. Elementary capacity is already strained in some areas: Black Diamond and Kibler were described as at capacity, Westwood near capacity and expected to need portables by 2026. The high school, including existing permanent portables, was described as having capacity for about 1,721 students and likely able to absorb high-school growth for a decade.

District finance details and growth solution under study: district staff described two parallel steps. First, the April capital levy would address immediate maintenance needs, and second, the district and school board are pursuing a negotiation with Oak Point, the master developer in Black Diamond, to fund a new elementary without asking taxpayers to pay construction costs. Under the proposal discussed, the district would sell about 41 acres of a high-school property to Oak Point for roughly $40 million and combine that with future mitigation fees to generate approximately $65 million to build at least one elementary school sized for about 550 students. District staff said a feasibility study is underway and the findings will be presented to the school board in April; the board must then decide whether to proceed.

Questions and concerns raised: council members pressed district presenters on policy and financial safeguards. Council member Gruner asked whether the district supports a recent Title IX–related complaint involving a school board member; district presenters declined to comment on that question and referred to public school board statements. Council members also asked what happens if mitigation fees do not materialize. District presenters said the developer would provide money up front under the proposed deal and that contract safeguards would be negotiated by district and developer attorneys; the district repeatedly said the feasibility study and a later board decision would include detailed financial terms.

Public comments: three members of the public—Andre Cook (a Black Diamond resident and vice chair of the citizen focus committee), Amy Smith (resident and mental-health practitioner), and Janna Thompson (Black Diamond resident)—spoke in support of the levy, describing visible building damage, comfort and safety problems in classrooms, and the transparency of the district’s project list online. Speakers urged council members and residents to review the district’s materials before ballots are mailed.

What was not decided: the council did not vote on the levy or on the Oak Point proposal; district staff characterized the new-school plan as a goal contingent on the feasibility study and a future school board decision. Presenters also said emergency facilities grants remain a supplemental option but that the district has been denied in recent grant cycles and will continue applying.

The district said a small but urgent maintenance need discovered over the weekend—an estimated water leak under a Kibler classroom of about 350 gallons per hour—will be addressed from existing facilities funds while the capital levy and feasibility work proceed. The school board will receive the feasibility presentation in April and determine next steps.

Ending: The district encouraged residents to review the project list on its website and to watch for ballots that begin arriving in the coming days. The council’s discussion concluded without formal action; the school board will decide how to proceed after receiving the feasibility report.