Teachers at three elementary schools had the chance to welcome students to new elementary additions this fall. As growth continues, permanent classroom additions at Benjamin Franklin Elementary, Rose Hill Elementary and Mark Twain Elementary make efficient use of the existing school grounds to create more classroom space.

Three elementary classroom additions will be ready for students on the first day of school. The additions at Benjamin Franklin, Rose Hill and Mark Twain elementary schools will provide an additional 20 permanent classrooms to address the district’s growing enrollment.

In April 2019, voters approved a capital construction levy that is providing $120 million in funding, collected over six years. These funds, combined with state construction assistance funds, will provide a total of $144 million. As of March 2021, $73 million has been spent on these levy projects:

At Benjamin Franklin Elementary, classrooms are beginning to come together with casework installation and ceiling tiles. Shared learning areas in each pod are within sight of classrooms, and windows let in natural light as well as a view of the mature evergreen trees nearby. Lighting installation will start soon in the eight-classroom addition. 

On May 4, LWSD closed on a 25-acre property in Redmond, which was formerly owned by Cadman. The site is within King County’s Urban Growth Boundary and adjacent to a growing residential neighborhood.