ORTING, Wash. — It’s back to school season in Pierce County, and Jenny McKinney says she’s glad her kids are in the Orting School District.
She moved to the area from Kirkland five years ago. One of the main draws was the small town charm.
“It’s really small, so the kids can know the teachers better,” she said. “I also found out that the majority of the staff live in Orting or the surrounding area, so they’re really invested. You can see the principal in the Safeway in town, or you can run into the kindergarten teacher getting ice cream.”
But McKinney says she’s starting to notice that the small town she moved to is growing faster than she’s comfortable with, as people from Seattle and Tacoma move in.
“You can see the class sizes getting bigger and bigger, and it’s kind of nerve racking,” McKinney said.
Census data shows that Orting’s population grew by nearly 75% between 2010 and 2020.
Ed Hatzenbeler, superintendent of the Orting School District, is now trying to figure out how to grow the city’s school system.
Hatzenbeler said the trick is to follow where housing is being built -- and a lot of it is going up in Orting.
“We use what’s called a Student Generation Rate, or the number that we can expect to receive per home. Now if you’re in an older community, aged 55 plus, you don’t expect to see any students. But if you’re generally in an affordable three bedroom, two bathroom house, we’re going to see on average about half of a student per house,” he said. “We’re staring at a little over 5,000 homes over the next 12 years, so by about 2035, that will potentially double the size of our district.”
Hatzenbeler said finding space for that many students will be difficult for a school district that’s already struggling with cramped classrooms. Three of the district’s four schools are currently over capacity.
Earlier this year, Orting voters were presented with a $150 million bond measure that would have secured funding for a new school building, but voters rejected it.
“2023 was the worst year in the last 25 years for school bonds across the state. Just 8% of those school bonds passed,” Hatzenbeler said.
Hatzenbeler says he understands the hesitation to support the bond as people try to make ends meet, but says in the near future the district won’t have any more space for new students and new schools are vital.
Meanwhile, McKinney hopes other voters come on board, and the school district will get the funding it needs.
“I have the faith that Orting takes care of Orting, and I feel that it will come soon,” she said.