Wenatchee board hears facilities committee plan recommending new high school and HVAC upgrades

The Wenatchee School Board on [date not specified] reviewed a facilities committee report that recommends completing HVAC upgrades across the district and constructing a new Wenatchee High School on the existing high‑school site.

Phil Crocker, the education facilities consultant who authored the report, told the board the recommendation grew from a year of committee work and a cross‑section of community input. "It wasn't about reduction in staff… It was really a planning study that followed the data and the educational program needs," Crocker said, characterizing the committee's approach.

Why it matters: consultants presented enrollment projections and condition assessments showing a long‑term, modest decline in student enrollment consistent with statewide trends and physical‑condition problems at the high school. The report estimated the district's planning‑level bond package at about $373,000,000 and identified eligibility for just under $80,000,000 from the state's School Construction Assistance Program (SCAP) to reduce the local share.

The consultants described their modeling and process in detail. Crocker said their forecasting toolkit produces multiple algorithms and that four are tightly aligned; a fifth was flagged as an outlier driven by anomalous federal housing data. He told the board the consultants' next‑year projections are historically about 99.6% accurate. "The committee largely felt that [the 'best' or green line] was the right trajectory to follow in the data," he said.

On capacity and condition, Crocker explained the district's programmatic capacity calculations — which account for classroom scheduling and an "imperfect‑fit" factor — and said the district's permanent capacity is roughly 2,830 students. He reported current total utilization near 94% overall, with middle schools underutilized and the high school at or above capacity. The consultants also rolled a clean‑energy audit into prioritization; they said Wenatchee High School scored low on physical condition and on the energy audit and only fair for functional adequacy.

Committee process and consensus: Tucker, who served on the facilities committee, summarized the nine‑meeting process and why the group moved from debating dollar amounts to defining the kind of building the district needs. "By the end, we really did have unanimous — we need a new building," Tucker said, urging that a replacement be functional and flexible for decades of programming changes.

Site feasibility and program design: Consultants and district leaders showed two conceptual exhibits to test whether a new high school could be built on the current site while keeping students on campus. Architects were engaged to assess square footage and phasing; board members asked about athletics and site elements such as failing tennis courts, which consultants acknowledged would be addressed in later design work.

Timing, costs and next steps: Board members discussed possible bond‑election dates and trade‑offs. Crocker and consultants warned that construction‑cost escalation is material: delaying the project increases the estimated price. Dates discussed included Nov. 3, 2026 and Feb. 9, 2027 as viable options, with February 10, 2026 judged too soon to prepare. Consultants sketched a likely schedule: roughly three months to assemble the team, 12–14 months for design, then 22–24 months for construction — putting completion in the 2028–29 range if a 2026 election were successful.

No formal action or vote occurred; the board will consider next steps, including a possible workshop on educational specifications (the document that defines program needs for designers) and an action item to set a bond‑election timeline. Phil Crocker and David Bodine remained available to the board as advisers during the planning and campaign preparation phases.

The board closed the meeting with thanks to the consultants and committee members and directed staff to bring follow‑up materials and scheduling options to a future agenda item.