Cascade’s new cafeteria (left) gave students a dedicated space for meals, allowing the gym (right) to be used fully for PE and activities.
In recent weeks, Eastmont launched a new Community Facility Planning Committee: a group of about 30 individuals bringing a wide range of experience and perspectives to the table.
The committee brings together a diverse mix of district voices including ASB students, parents, and a PTO member, as well as alumni who know the schools well. Several Eastmont representatives also serve on the team, including a teacher, a classified employee, an administrator, a union representative, and a School Board member. In addition, community partners joined the effort, representing Chelan and Douglas County PUDs, local clergy from Holy Apostles, business owners, retirees, and leaders from the valley’s agricultural industry.
Over the course of five meetings, committee members will tour school buildings, review data, and discuss Eastmont’s long-term facility needs. Their task? Weigh the facts and ultimately make a recommendation to the Eastmont School Board on whether to pursue a future bond measure and to clearly explain their rationale. The group’s work is supported by an educational facility planner and a construction planning specialist.
The first meeting was held at Cascade Elementary, where a voter-approved capital levy and a state grant funded a new cafeteria for the decades-old school. It was a fitting reminder, Superintendent Spencer Taylor noted, of what community investment can make possible.
“Our schools are community schools,” Taylor said. “We ask what’s the best use of our community facilities, resources, and tax dollars, [because] we want to be good stewards. We are healthy financially, but a lot of work is ahead of us, and some difficult decisions have to be made. I take it seriously.”
Dustin Hoffman, Director of Facilities and Maintenance, underscored the demand on Eastmont’s schools. Nearly 500 field requests come in each year across nine campuses, with hundreds of children using gyms for sports like indoor soccer. “We’re a true community resource,” Hoffman said. “But we’re burning our facilities at both ends. I want something I can take care of for the next 50 years. I’m not looking for bells and whistles.”
For Taylor, it always comes back to students, and Eastmont’s ability to support them all. That broad mission carries a unique responsibility to provide the spaces and support all students need to thrive. “We serve students from age 3 to 22: from medically fragile students who need a full-time nurse, to students accepted to Ivy League schools and West Point, and everything in between. We serve every student in our community, and we are happy to do so.”
The Community Facility Planning Committee will keep meeting throughout the school year to visit schools, look at data, and explore different options for the future. Their work shows Eastmont’s commitment to being responsible with district resources: making sure funds are used wisely, decisions are transparent, and schools are well cared for. Updates from future meetings will be shared with the community as the process continues.
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