Kira Erickson reports from the Langley City Council meeting of Mon., Jan. 19, 2026 for the South Whidbey Record. Read the whole story.
Summary by Perplexity AI
South Whidbey School District is progressing with an $80 million, bond-funded renovation of its elementary, middle, and high school campuses, slated for completion by the end of 2027. Work includes a new inclusive playground at the elementary school, roof replacements, exterior upgrades, new windows, and interior improvements such as locker rooms and offices. Students and staff will remain on campus using portables and underused space. The board also reviewed plans for both traditional and all-gender restrooms with full-height partitions and hallway-visible sinks, removing urinals. Some community members, led by former candidate Gwendy Gabelein, object, but district leaders and students broadly support the design.
They Said It
At the combined middle school and high school campus, the focus has been on roofing replacement, exterior renovations including addition of new masonry, preparation for metal siding and installation of new windows, and interior renovations including locker rooms, the main office and athletic storage room, according to a press release from Superintendent Becky Clifford.
“This project is about delivering on our commitment to provide safe, modern, and inspiring spaces where our students can thrive,” Clifford said in the release. “Every decision we’re making keeps student learning and their future experience at the center.”
Gwendy Gabelein, who ran against incumbent Ann Johnson on the school board and lost in the last general election, criticized the plan and said the community was not involved in the conversation. She claimed to have gathered 300 signatures from community members who are against the plan, although not all of them currently have children within the school district.
“A lot of students left, first day of school, a little bit besides themselves,” Gabelein said. “It’s just a new concept, and shoving it down people’s throats is not a way to introduce a new concept.”
“I think we have been very clear that we have heard you, and the answer is no,” Board Member Andrea Downs told Gabelein.
Gabelein also had questions about monitoring the restrooms and responding to students in a mental health crisis, to which Clifford affirmed that staff are prepared and will have access.
