WHIDBEY NEWS-TIMES: DOD official tours ‘substandard’ school facility

Rachel Rosen reports:

A federal employee traveled from Washington D.C. to tour Crescent Harbor Elementary last Tuesday to assess the poor condition of the school.

Patrick O’Brien, director of the U.S. Department of Defense Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation, visited the school, which is on federal property. The office assists local governments and communities that are impacted by the Department of Defense.

According to teachers and school administration, Crescent Harbor has several issues related to overcrowding and the old age of the school buildings, which date back to 1970 and 1958.

They Said It

At a school board meeting last Monday, Superintendent Michelle Kuss-Cybula said the federal money, which has already been approved to go to the district, will go to another school instead if not spent in five to seven years.

School board member Nikki Tesch brought up the fact that the school is an important location for the community due to the proximity of Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.

“We do have a challenge ahead of us,” Tesch said, [referring to the district’s Feb. 2023 bond measure in light of the failure of a similar, larger ballot measure in Feb. 2022].