The time to act: why ISD desperately needs a new high school
As part of your elected Issaquah School Board, we are dedicated to ensuring every student thrives in meaningful learning environments. Today, we face a critical challenge threatening our students’ education: overcrowding in high schools. This issue impacts every family in our district, whether your children are in kindergarten or about to graduate.
Our high schools consistently rank among the best in state and national assessments, even while operating above capacity for over a decade. Success comes from the hard work of students and educators, but our three high schools are operating 10 to 27% above permanent capacity. Maintaining excellence and providing a full range of programs, activities, arts, music and athletics is no longer sustainable.
With high school enrollment over 5,600 students and projected to rise, classrooms, cafeterias and other facilities are stretched beyond capacity. At some schools, teachers work in shared spaces, lunch lines are long with limited cafeteria seating for students, and hallways are crowded. Temporary solutions such as the use of portables do not offer the same experience as all students learning in the main school building.
Overcrowding does more than inconvenience – it compromises education. Teachers in crowded classrooms struggle to provide individualized attention, extracurricular opportunities are reduced, and student safety becomes harder to ensure as they travel between temporary portables and the main school building.
The best solution, identified in 2016, is to build a new high school. A bond-funded project would ease the burden on existing schools and ensure all students have the resources they need to succeed. A new school means smaller class sizes, which will lead to more time with teachers, improved safety, and increased opportunities in leadership, athletics and the arts.
We’ve planned carefully. The proposed high school isn’t just a building; it is an investment in our future. It will have modern learning spaces, designed for current and future needs and built to last.
Why Now?
Some may question why this bond is necessary, given previous funding. The answer lies in timing and urgency. The first bond for the new high school passed in 2016, and funding was included in subsequent measures. However, unplanned legal and administrative costs and rising construction costs have delayed the project. The district has spent $20 million on land development, legal fees and permits, which are set to expire in April.
Delaying further will only increase costs and place a heavier burden on taxpayers. Acting now allows us to lock in current construction costs and open the high school in two years – critical to meeting immediate student needs.
The land is secured, permits are in place, and we are ready to break ground. What we lack is the remaining funding to make it a reality.
Addressing Community Concerns
We understand that trust and transparency are vital. Some have expressed concerns about how funds have been managed in the past. Superintendent Heather Tow-Yick and her team have worked hard to improve fiscal transparency and we’ve seen those changes in action.
To strengthen our transparency efforts, we are establishing an independent Capital Projects Oversight committee to ensure projects stay on track and every dollar is spent responsibly. We will share regular updates and invite community input throughout the process for all projects.
Whether or not the bond passes, we will continue to focus on serving the needs of our students. If it fails, we will consider options from doing nothing to solutions like boundary changes, grade reconfigurations, or double-shifting at overcrowded schools. We know these fixes would strain resources and not solve the core issue for students and staff faced with the limitations of overcrowding.
Our Students Deserve Better
As your school board president, I am committed to upholding these values responsibly. Voting “yes” on the Feb. 11 bond is a vote for the future of our students, schools and Issaquah community.
Together, we can ensure every child has the chance to succeed in a safe and supportive environment.
Marnie Maraldo is a parent, educator, ISD school board president, Executive Director of Influence the Choice and former high-tech leader who earned a degree in Applied Mathematics from Liberty University.
