Lake Stevens schools launch "I Love Lake Stevens Schools" push as superintendent highlights enrollment, achievements
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Summary
New Superintendent Mary Templeton briefed the Lake Stevens City Council on district enrollment, academic and extracurricular achievements, an upcoming bond vote, and a community campaign launching Jan. 27 to rally local support.
Mary Templeton, the new superintendent of Lake Stevens School District, told the Lake Stevens City Council on Jan. 14 that the district is broadly healthy and is launching an "I Love Lake Stevens Schools" campaign to highlight local support as it prepares for growth.
Templeton opened by framing the district’s strengths and community ties: "I am so excited to be here, as your new Lake Stevens School District Superintendent. I am here to let you know that all is well in the Lake Stevens School District," she said, and described student behavior, community involvement and staff as central to that success.
Templeton gave a brief, numbers-focused overview intended to explain why the district is asking voters to back a bond renewal on Feb. 11. She said the district serves “almost 10,000” students and employs “almost 1,800” people across the year. Templeton also noted the district serves roughly 1,000,000 meals annually and has a robust busing program that covers extensive mileage each year. She said about 610 students currently walk across the graduation stage each year and that the district’s goal for on-time graduation would require about 640 graduates to reach a 100% on-time rate.
The superintendent said growth in the community is a key driver for the bond request. She told council there are about 2,000 building permits in process and that district projections expect an additional roughly 13,000 residents moving to the community over time; she emphasized that not all new residents will be school-age but said the proportion of children moving in is higher than typical. ‘‘Our bond that is gonna rerun Feb. 11…really is to address growth,’’ Templeton said.
Templeton highlighted recent student successes, including state championships in athletics and multiple wins in career-technical competitions (Microsoft Business Suites and robotics), and described efforts to increase career readiness. She said the district wants every graduating student to have a clear next step—college, apprenticeship, trade school or military service—and sketched an idea for a future “signing day” to celebrate those commitments.
Templeton invited city leaders and businesses to participate in the Jan. 27 campaign kickoff and requested visible, community-wide support for the schools. She called the district’s connection with local employers and residents ‘‘our investment for the future in Lake Stevens.’’
Council members and the mayor responded with praise and examples of students' positive experiences in the district, including AP government students engaging with council and local stories of recent arrivals doing well. No formal action was taken by the council on the presentation itself.
Templeton closed by reiterating appreciation for city support and by asking the community to consider the upcoming bond vote as a way to prepare for growth and preserve district capacity.
