SPANAWAY, Wash. — A community in Pierce County came together Wednesday morning to walk a mile to Spanaway Middle School in an effort to show city leaders the dangers some students face while walking to school.
Dozens gathered in the dark and rain at Bethel School District's Educational Service Center before walking the mile down B street to Spanaway Middle School.
Many parents who joined the walk said they did it because they were frustrated by the lack of infrastructure.
According to the district, just 9% of the roads have sidewalks and most roads have no street lights, leaving hundreds of students to walk in ditches and narrow dirt roads.
"Even with officers out here with us, plainly seen, there are still people speeding down the streets. This is what our students face and they don't have reflective vests or flashlights or things of that nature," said Marcus Young, president of the Spanaway Middle School board.
Young also has two sons who go to the school and says the board has been filling out grants for years, but there is a lot of red tape when it comes to funding.
Pierce County councilmember Jani Hitchen says the funding for sidewalks is part of a bigger problem.
"Bethel is more than 204 square miles, with only one small city inside its boundaries. The roads and infrastructure are solely under the umbrella of the county. With the only two primary sources of revenue being property taxes and sales taxes, counties face significant challenges with the revenue sources available to fund essential services," said councilmember Hitchen, who used to teach at Spanaway Middle School before joining the council.
Essentially, Bethel has city problems with a county budget. She also pointed to previous council decisions that approved funding for expansion and real estate instead of fixing existing issues.
"We're talking to the State on how we can do better for students in unincorporated parts of our county," she said.
The Council is currently developing its 2024 -2025 biennial budget and transportation options including traffic lighting, sidewalks, as well as bike and walking paths, are being looked at in-depth.