Dear Skamania Families,

I mentioned an exciting announcement coming in my update last week, and I am thrilled to share that Skamania School has been awarded a modernization grant from the State of Washington for just over $3.8 million!

We are always looking for ways to minimize the cost of facility upkeep on our local taxpayers, which led us to apply for this special grant.

These grant funds will be used for critical updates to our aging building that will extend the life of the structure for many years to come. They include:

  • A new roof;
  • A building intercom system;
  • Replacing all exterior doors and windows;
  • Updating the electrical system;
  • Replacing the heating and cooling systems; and
  • Modernizing the fire suppression system.

Our next steps include gathering bids through a competitive bidding process for the various projects that will be covered by the grant funds and then setting up contracts. Our hope is to have local companies and workers do as much of the work as possible. These steps, as well as the actual updates to the building, will take at least a year to complete.

I am excited to dive deeper into this process and also for the positive impact the changes will have on our school and community. As we plan for the eventual return to our building for in-classroom learning while doing construction, there is still much to be figured out. I will be sharing more with you as details are finalized. Stay tuned!

Dr. Ralph Pruitt
Superintendent, Skamania School District