Planning, visioning begins for expansion, remodeling of schools

A vision of how Tahoma’s schools could look is the goal when two committees get to work this month to create educational specifications that will guide remodeling and expansion of Tahoma High School and Tahoma Junior High.

In a meeting with the Tahoma School Board on March 16, representatives of DLR Group architects outlined the process and received direction from the board and Superintendent Mike Maryanski.

The two “ed spec” committees will have about 30 members each, including staff members, administrators, parents, board members, and students. They are scheduled to deliver a recommendation to the school board in June.

Two more committees will be created in September to craft specifications for changes at Cedar River Middle School and to develop a prototype design for a new elementary school to replace Lake Wilderness Elementary and an additional elementary school that would be built adjacent to Tahoma Junior High.

The educational specifications created by the committees will be used by the school board to develop a construction bond measure that will be sent to voters as soon as spring of 2011.

The proposed school expansion and remodeling is prompted by recent demographic estimates that indicate the district’s enrollment will exceed capacity in about five years.