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Wenatchee board authorizes planning to relocate Valley Academy to former Columbia Elementary building
Summary
The Wenatchee School District board voted to authorize district administration to plan moving Valley Academy into the vacant Columbia Elementary building. Board members discussed costs, staffing changes and a timeline; no final lease or sale decision was made.
The Wenatchee School District Board of Directors on March 11 authorized district administrators to continue planning to relocate Valley Academy into the former Columbia Elementary School building.
The board’s action, moved and seconded during the meeting, directs administrators to pursue planning and related steps but does not finalize a lease, sale or tenant agreement for the remaining portion of the Columbia building.
Board members said the relocation aims to give Valley Academy a larger, more appropriate space while preserving Columbia’s 100-year legacy. Presenters told the board that the district expects limited one-time costs to ready Columbia for Valley — new signage (required by current code), replacement of aging clocks (estimated about $15,000), fire-alarm updates included in planned technology upgrades, and moving costs. The district also expects to increase custodial staffing for the larger facility from roughly 0.2 full-time equivalent to between 0.8 and 1.0 FTE.
Program director Shelly Gelsing, introduced in the presentation as Valley’s program director, told the board that Valley is a public, parent-partnered alternative program that serves students with a mix of on-site and at-home instruction and that its staff and families are largely supportive of the proposed move. Gelsing said Valley currently operates with roughly 11–12 staff members (varying by individual FTE) and that classroom staffing models mean the program could grow without a proportional increase in on-site staff; she also said the program’s student-to-FTE ratio currently runs about 24 students per FTE.
District staff described a plan for Valley to occupy about two-thirds of the Columbia building — including gym, cafeteria and music spaces — leaving roughly one-third available for future community or district proposals. The board heard that any tenant work beyond routine occupancy would generally be the tenant’s cost, and that the district will evaluate options to lease, maintain or sell the remaining wing after Valley’s move is complete.
Board members discussed the human impact of the original Columbia closure and emphasized efforts to preserve the school’s history. Several directors said the relocation is fiscally defensible given current enrollment patterns and space efficiencies. At the meeting’s action vote the motion carried without recorded opposition.
Next steps identified by staff include continued stakeholder communications, staff walkthroughs, refining transition timelines (with planning continuing April–June), and later processes to solicit proposals for the remaining Columbia space. Any lease, sale or tenant negotiations will be brought back to the board for approval as required.
Action on the relocation was limited to authorizing continued planning; the district will return with further details, contracts and any budget requests required for final approvals.
