LYNNWOOD, Wash. — Overcrowded classroom, no running water, and kids learning in storage closets is reality for kids at elementary schools in Edmonds.
The school district will ask voters to approve a $600 million bond to build two new schools, replace three others, and make improvements throughout the district.
Nicole Brekkaa's second grade P.E. class has some 40 kids running around.
"Controlled chaos is what it is," Brekkaa said.
It's actually two classes combined into one. They're doubling up at Oak Heights Elementary to make room so the school can also use the gymnasium as a cafeteria. Brekkaa said it isn't the best environment for teaching.
"It's hard to have a good lesson plan for 40 kids versus just 20 kids, and really take that time to focus on the skills that we're practicing on," she said.
Oak Heights Elementary is 52 years old. With 620 students, it's the biggest elementary school in the district, and approximately 150 students over capacity.
The school's six portable classrooms don't have running water, but plenty of water runs through leaky fixtures across campus.
Storage rooms are being used as classrooms. There isn't any room left to store desks and chairs so they're piled outside.
"We're just really creative with how we use our space," Principal Jessica Asp said. She tries to stay positive but it isn't easy.
"It's heartbreaking," Asp said. "We're doing the best we can with the space we have. Our teachers work so hard to make sure every student is well cared for. Sometimes that's going to happen in a storage closet."
School officials said they need more, about $1.7 million, to fully modernize schools in Snohomish County's largest district.
By 2027, enrollment at Oak Heights alone is projected to be 806 students in a school built for an estimated 450.
The district will also ask for a $96 million capital and technology levy.
Officials said the two combined will maintain the current tax rate at $3.76 per $1000 of assessed home value.
"These children are our future problem solvers," Asp said. "Having space and capacity for teachers to nurture them and for families to nurture them, that to me is priceless."
The Edmonds School Board will vote on whether to put the issue to voters October 8. If approved, the measure will be on the February ballot.