ISD Hosts State Leaders for School Construction Funding Tour

On Friday, October 31, the Issaquah School District hosted a tour of Challenger and Creekside elementary schools to highlight the real costs of building and maintaining schools and to discuss the gaps between state funding formulas and the actual costs districts face. 

Washington State Rep. Janice Zahn joined district leaders, a representative from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), and a representative from the Washington Association of Maintenance and Operations Administrators (WAMOA), for the visit. The tour focused on how Washington’s school construction funding system functions and why current state formulas fall short in communities like our district, where land and building costs are significantly above state averages. 

Washington state helps school districts pay for new or modernized school buildings through the School Construction Assistance Program (SCAP). However, SCAP funding is based on outdated formulas that do not reflect today’s real construction costs or educational space needs. 

In King County, school construction now often costs $600–$700 per square foot, yet in fiscal year 2026 the state will fund only about $399 per square foot. In addition, state rules limit funding to a project’s “eligible area” using space formulas developed decades ago—before modern programs such as Career and Technical Education, special education, and flexible learning environments required larger or more adaptable spaces. 

Challenger Elementary opened in 1988 and cost $5.4 million to build; SCAP paid $1.4 million of that total cost. Creekside Elementary opened in 2011 and cost $23.5 million to build, with $5.2 million coming from SCAP. For each project, the construction totals not covered by SCAP were funded by voter-approved bond measures. 

“While progress is being made, funding gaps between state support and actual construction costs remain a challenge,” said Martin Turney, chief of finance and operations. “We appreciate the partnership of state leaders working to modernize the system. Visits like this help highlight the real costs districts face.”  

Leaders also discussed rising costs related to state energy-efficiency rules under the Clean Buildings Performance Standard, which requires nearly all public school buildings to meet strict energy standards. While important for sustainability, these requirements currently lack a dedicated K-12 funding source. 

As an example, the district estimates $6.5 million in Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) controls and building-envelope upgrades will be required at Challenger, and $3.2 million in similar work at Creekside. 

A proposed 2024 bond measure, which included $130 million for Clean Buildings upgrades and compliance, did not reach the 60% supermajority required for passage leaving Issaquah without a clear funding path to meet state mandates. Rep. Zahn also asked about other funding challenges affecting schools statewide, including the prototypical school model, early learning, technology, transportation and operations funding. 

“We are grateful for conversations like this,” Superintendent Heather Tow-Yick said. “We remain committed to working with state leaders to create a sustainable and equitable funding model so students across Washington can learn in safe, healthy, future-ready facilities.” 

Above, district and state leaders tour Creekside Elementary.

Above, district and state leaders tour Challenger Elementary.