The Lake Stevens School district is growing significantly, which is why the school board has released options to accommodate the new student population size.“With each passing year our facility needs and overcrowding issues have become more critical,” the Lake Stevens School District said in a bond video they created.

Some of those facility needs are increased classroom sizes, athletic department, music department, and special needs programs. Lake Stevens High School doesn’t have as much space as it once did back in 1979 when the building was built, but the newly released options may change that.

The school board has two options to help fix our school’s needs. The first option, Option A, is a modernization of the Lake Stevens High School campus. It includes selective additions and configurations. This option includes reconstruction of athletic, music, and special education program buildings, by adding more space to the current buildings. It also includes adding permanent classroom space, heating, ventilation, roofing, and electrical updates, an upgraded campus security, and the parking and bus drop off will be improved. These changes are estimated to give the current LSHS buildings another 40 years of use. This option is expected to cost around $101 million.

The other option, Option B, includes all Option A improvements to LSHS. Although, instead of adding to existing buildings and spaces, Option B replaces existing buildings with new construction. There would be new buildings for the athletic, music, and special needs departments, and the new buildings would be wired for 21st century learning. This option is expected to cost around $116 million.

In addition, both options include the construction of a new elementary and early learning center.

So what do LSHS students think about these options? Students weighed in and 42% of the respondents said they would like to see the building(s) be changed, such as classroom size and upgrading the building in general, and 21% said they would like to see the music and athletic departments upgraded. Luckily, the options released both meet those desires of our students.

Some students made special requests if they were to change anything at LSHS. Two students stated that the lunchrooms were too crowded, and they would have wanted more chairs or to have two lunchrooms, like at Kamiak High School. Another student commented to update everything at LSHS. Others asked for walking space into classrooms, change in flow of building room numbers, the upgrading of the swimming pool, a bigger music department, water fountains, and better walkways. The Lake Stevens community will ultimately choose which option the school district moves forward with in the next bond election in February.