NEWCASTLE — The newest middle school in the Renton School District will have to wait another year for students.
Middle School No. 4, located in Newcastle, was supposed to be completed August 31, 2016, and open for the 2016-2017 school year.
The contractor, Porter Brothers Construction, notified the district it was behind schedule on the $97 million dollar project. The district and contractor are working together to determine what caused the delay.
The delay could be short as a few weeks, but has big implications, and district staff said they couldn’t wait for another progress update before taking action.
The district had a tough decision to make: whether to open the school a month or more into the school year, or to wait until the 2017-2018 school year.
The district decided to wait for the 2017-2018 school year.
The district did not have anywhere to temporarily house 700 students to later move to the completed building.
Another reason district staff said they decided to wait was to be sure they can get the best teachers. The district can't hire teachers and have them wait while the building is completed. Teachers who want to transfer to the school wouldn't leave their classrooms at other Renton schools during the school year.
There are about 1,300 students at McKnight Middle School, According to the Renton School District. Roughly 700 of those students are slated to attend the new middle school.
District staff said McKnight Middle School is operating at capacity, and teachers are using every room for learning. While it is crowded, the district said teachers can still provide quality education at the school.
Middle School No. 4 will be named Vera Risdon Middle School after the long-time Renton educator.
Risdon worked for the district for nearly 50 years, including positions in Newcastle. Risdon worked at Hazelwood Elementary which used to be on the property where the middle school is being constructed.
It is the first school in the district to be named after a woman and the only one recently to be named for someone who is still living.
Cox Media Group
