New Elementary School Not In Plans For Indian Trail Area

There are no plans to build a new school in Indian Trail, despite recent controversy in the neighborhood over crowded classrooms and student busing.

Ned Hammond, superintendent of planning for Spokane School District 81, said physical space isn’t the problem.

Woodridge Elementary School has empty classrooms, but not enough students to warrant another teacher, Hammond said.

Although the school district owns property for a future school in the Pacific Park neighborhood, there is no need for one, he said.

“As developments continue to grow in that area we will have to determine if it is necessary to build a new school,” Hammond said.

Last month, because of crowded classrooms at Woodridge, a halfdozen sixth-graders were bused to Browne Elementary, about four miles away.

The parents of Woodridge sixth-grader Tiffany Cook protested the busing by sending her to the school anyway. The family gave up after a week-long fight when administrators told them they’d seek legal action if she returned.

Tiffany Cook is now attending private school.

Balboa and Indian Trail, the other two elementaries in the neighborhood, are also full.

Hammond said the slow but steady growth in the Indian Trail neighborhood is unique. In other parts of the city, subdivisions are built over a two or three year period.

The schools in those neighborhoods fill, then empty as children grow and leave the neighborhood. Eventually, they fill again as new families move in with young children. It’s cyclical and predictable.

“Woodridge houses were built in the 1960s and 1970s, then there was another batch in the 1980s and 1990s. There has been a nice even flow of students through Woodridge,” he said.

Woodridge has never had more than 550 students, said Hammond.

“Now, with all the platted lots, we will probably see another surge. But just because an area is platted, doesn’t mean there will be buyers,” Hammond said.

Hammond said when the district bought the Pacific Park property, they were aware the Indian Trail library branch wouldn’t be built on the site next door.

He didn’t know, however, that an apartment building next to the school is one of the options being considered by a developer.

Western Real Properties is scheduled to go before the hearing examiner Oct. 7 to ask that the property be rezoned from single family to multi-family.

Gene Cameron, a spokesman for the developer, said a 59-unit apartment complex is being considered for the site. Before construction, the developer would need special permit approval.

Hammond said the proposed apartment building has little effect on the district’s plans.

“I don’t see a problem with that,” he said.

Neighbors are concerned about the possible traffic explosion if the school and apartments are built along with housing on the south side of Pacific Park Drive.

However, Hammond said McCarrol East, with 257 homes and 30 duplexes proposed behind Farmdale, between Shawnee and Strong Road, will have a significant impact on the district.

The homes, however, are proposed to be built slowly over a period of years. The first phase will include 15 houses.

“It will have lots of houses and duplexes and will have an impact on the schools,” he said.

“There are a number of factors we need to identify,” he said.