Capital Facilities Advisory Committee (CFAC)

Where things stand now?

The Capital Facilities Advisory Committee (CFAC) launched in October 2022 to analyze the school district's elementary school boundaries.

CFAC is meeting regularly to analyze data and public feedback as they work toward making a recommendation to the school board in spring 2023.

Everyone is welcome at CFAC meetings to come learn more about the situation, see proposed maps and share opinions!

During the most recent public forum on Wednesday, Jan. 18, CFAC discussed the latest proposed boundary map — currently on Draft #10. Feedback from the public forum will help CFAC as they revise more draft map versions.


• See an online version of the Draft 10 map HERE (use the layers tool at the left to see other maps)
• Download a printable version of the Draft 10 map HERE
• Download a printable version of the current 2022-23 boundary map HERE 



Upcoming meetings

  • CFAC membership meeting: 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22.

  • Community meeting: 5:30-7 p.m. Monday, March 6, at Stanwood High for a public forum to share revisions. Open to all.

  • * Note: Meeting dates are subject to change based on CFAC and/or community needs. See this page for updates. 



CFAC's weekly communication 

 

Jan. 5 — Topic: Capacity
Jan. 12 — Topic: Why balance matters
Jan. 19 — Topic: Feedback from the community
Jan. 26 — Topic: Building new schools




CFAC's Jan. 18 meeting

 

CFAC membership held a public forum Wednesday, Jan. 18, at Cedarhome Elementary School to share map revisions and gather public feedback. About 100 attended, providing a wide array of input and opinions that CFAC will analyze over the coming days.




CFAC's Jan. 3 meeting

 

CFAC membership held a meeting Tuesday, Jan. 3, at Port Susan Middle School to discuss survey responses to help refine new draft versions of boundary maps to present to the public at a future meeting.




CFAC's Dec. 12 and 14 meetings

The Capital Facilities Advisory Committee (CFAC) met Dec. 12 and 14 at Utsalady Elementary and Twin City Elementary for public forums to gather feedback on proposed maps and boundary ideas.
Feedback and input from the meeting will help guide the process.



CFAC's Dec. 1 meeting

The Capital Facilities Advisory Committee (CFAC) met Thursday, Dec. 1, to examine maps, data and boundary ideas.
Feedback and input from the meeting will help guide the two upcoming community presentations where CFAC members will give an update on where the process stands.



CFAC's Nov. 21 meeting


The Capital Facilities Advisory Committee (CFAC) met Monday, Nov. 21, to continue their work at examining elementary overcrowding, school boundaries and other growth/building issues.
CFAC members began to look at preliminary data to help define concerns and raise further questions around overcrowding and potential boundary adjustments.
After another CFAC meeting on Dec. 1, the group plans to share some initial ideas on possible solutions with the community during the following weeks through public forums and an online survey. Stay tuned for more information on those communitywide events.
No changes will take place in the current school year. CFAC plans to make recommendations to the school board on this issue in the spring. 



Data & information:

Stanwood-Camano School District Enrollment Trends and Projections

Stanwood-Camano School District facility master plan

Presentation from the Nov. 21 CFAC meeting

The CFAC met Oct. 17 and Nov. 21. It meets at 5:30 p.m. at Port Susan Middle School.



Frequently asked questions

What is the CFAC?
This school year, the community is invited to participate on the Capital Facilities Advisory Committee (CFAC), which will advise the district and the school board on key issues such as elementary overcrowding, school boundaries and other growth/building issues. The CFAC will also look at how we can best use, maintain and develop our facilities. This year, one of the top questions is how to address overcrowding at several elementary schools. In partnership with CFAC, we may be adjusting our school boundaries in the future to accommodate for forecast growth at the elementary level.

Why consider changing school enrollment boundaries?

Enrollment is increasing and some school buildings are at or near capacity. Adjusting school enrollment boundaries is designed to accommodate school-age population growth and balance school sizes.


What are the district growth projections?

The district should see enrollment growth between 2022 and 2031, according to an April 2022 study of the Stanwood-Camano community by Educational Data Solutions. The district’s enrollment is estimated to grow from about 4,500 in October 2021 to somewhere between 5,400 and 6,000 students by 2030. However, some areas are likely to see higher gains than others. Read the study HERE.



Can the district build a new school?

The district owns two plots of land – one on Camano Island and one near Warm Beach – for potential future schools. However, it would require the community to pass a bond measure to fund the planning, design and construction of a new school. Such a project would also take a few years.



Can the district restructure the grade levels at each building to accommodate enrollment?

Possibly. The CFAC is tasked with looking into that as one of the possible options.



What are other districts who are in a similar situation doing or have done to address the issue?

Districts in similar situations adjust attendance boundaries to allow for maximum capacity. They then consider new school construction 



Generally, how does the recent housing growth in Stanwood correlate to enrollment?

There were about 28 students for every 100 housing units in the district. This includes all housing, both new and existing.



What are the school capacities and how are those limits determined?

  Capacity Enrollment

Cedarhome

432  597
Elger Bay 413 356
Stanwood 504 453
Twin City 423 381
Utsalady 408 287
Port Susan Middle 642 516
Stanwood Middle 652 477 
Stanwood High 1,505 1,293

Building capacities have been calculated using the maximum desired classroom sizes per the Stanwood-Camano Education Association Collective Bargaining Agreement. Class sizes are also reflective of size needed to support the District’s educational programs and goals.


Portables are not included in the capacity calculation. The addition of portables as housing for students in over-capacity schools is a way of managing increased student counts, but should not be considered a permanent solution to District growth. 



What are the life expectancies of the district’s existing schools?

Generally speaking, school buildings can serve efficiently for about 50 years, if properly maintained. A major renovation project can typically add about 25 years to the life of an older building. Without a major renovation, buildings typically begin to become costly to maintain and less safe.



Is there a more efficient way to distribute kids to best use the current space? 

The CFAC is tasked with looking into that as one of the possible options.