On Jan. 31, 2020, community members will have an opportunity to tour the first school rebuilt using local tax dollars from a 2017 voter-approved bond measure for Vancouver Public Schools. 

The Visit VPS tour will take guests to Ogden Elementary School to see how the design of the new building was influenced by the vision for teaching and learning shared by staff members, students, families and community members. Highlights will include:

• Collaboration studios 
• Art and project rooms
• Family-Community Resource Center
• Early learning courtyard
• Playground featuring natural elements designed for childhood development 

The tour will begin and end at the Bates Center for Educational Leadership, 2921 Falk Rd. Check-in for the tour begins at 8:30 a.m. The tour ends at 12:15 p.m. Guests have the option of enjoying a student musical performance and meal prepared by culinary arts students. Lunch is available for $5 per person.

Everyone is welcome, but space is limited. Advance registration is required. Sign up to reserve a spot.

Current and future students and their families should begin preparing for the 2020–2021 school year. 

Current fifth- through 11th-graders
Students who want to participate in a specialized program during the upcoming school year should apply for enrollment starting Tuesday, Jan. 7. 

Parents and students can learn more about the programs by attending open houses or contacting a program coordinator. They also can attend a fair on Tuesday, Jan. 7, to speak with program coordinators and get help applying for programs. The fair will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Roosevelt Elementary School gym at 2921 Falk Rd.

Full-day magnet programs and half-day programs of choice empower students to explore their interests and gain knowledge and skills needed for their future careers. Options include: 

• Careers in Education (grades 10-12)
• Vancouver Flex Academy (grades 9-12)
• Welding/Fabrication Technology (grades 10-12)
• Culinary Arts (grades 10-12)
• International Baccalaureate (grades 9-12)
• Medical Arts (grades 9-12)
• Vancouver iTech Preparatory (grades 6-12)
• Fort Vancouver Center for International Studies (grades 9-12, no application required)
• Architecture, Construction and Environmental Services (Bay ACES) (grades 9-12)
• Science, Math and Technology Magnet (Skyview SMTM) (grades 9-12)
• Vancouver School of Arts and Academics (grades 6-12)

Students currently in fifth through 11th grades should apply for all programs that match their interests. Applications should be submitted online.

Visit the district’s website for program descriptions, open house dates and application deadlines.

Incoming kindergartners 
Parents may register children for kindergarten starting Monday, Jan. 13. Any child who will be 5 years old on or before Aug. 31, 2020, is eligible to enter kindergarten in fall 2020. Full-day kindergarten is offered districtwide in Vancouver Public Schools.

Information about the registration process is available on the district’s website.

School offices are open for kindergarten registration Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Registration can take up to one hour. Some of the forms can be downloaded in advance.

After registration, the child and their family will be invited to visit their elementary school and meet teachers. 

Parents who register their children for kindergarten also will have a chance to sign up their child for Kindergarten Jump Start, a program for incoming kindergarteners that takes place a few weeks before the school year begins. Students will meet their peers; learn routines; become familiar with school surroundings; and participate in math, literacy and hands-on learning activities.

In addition, the Spanish/English Dual Language Program will expand to Martin Luther King Jr. and Roosevelt elementary schools beginning with kindergartners in fall 2020. The goals of dual language education are to promote bilingualism and biliteracy, to attain high academic achievement in two languages and to develop global competence. Students learn to speak, read and write in both English and Spanish by fifth grade. Dual language education prioritizes English learners, focuses on closing opportunity gaps and offers students an opportunity to become proficient in two languages.

King and Roosevelt will host informational nights in January. 

The program also will continue to operate at Harney and Anderson elementary schools, McLoughlin and Gaiser middle schools and the Fort Vancouver High School Center for International Studies.

Information on the application process will be available at a later date.

The community is invited to attend the first of five public meetings regarding the construction of a new elementary school. The meeting will take place from 6 to 7 p.m., Jan. 8 at Minnehaha Elementary School. Attendees will have an opportunity to provide input on the need for a new elementary school initially planned to be built at NE 25th Avenue south of 88th Street.

VPS is recommending that the elementary school be removed from the list of current bond projects and deferred to a future bond measure. Flat enrollment and rising marketplace costs have caused district staff to re-examine the rationale for building the school at this time. Operational budget constraints also are an important consideration.

Information about the recommendation will be provided at each of the following five forums.

• Jan. 8, 6-7 p.m. –  Minnehaha Elementary School, 2800 NE 54th St.
• Jan. 15, 6-7 p.m. – Walnut Grove Elementary School, 6103 NE 72nd Ave.
• Jan. 27, 6-7 p.m. – Anderson Elementary School, 2215 NE 104th St.
• Jan. 30, 6-7 p.m. – Hazel Dell Elementary School, 511 NE Anderson Rd.
• Feb. 6, 6-7 p.m. – Eisenhower Elementary School, 9201 NW 9th Ave.

Parents, staff and community members are invited to attend the date and location that is most convenient for them. An opportunity to provide feedback will be available at each forum and on the district’s website.

In 2016, district and school staff identified a list of school facility construction needs and the estimated costs. At the time, student enrollment was projected to go up, according to studies by a local demographer. Since then new enrollment forecasts show an expected decline and flattening of enrollment. The additional classrooms this new school would provide aren’t currently needed.

In addition, increased costs have created a budget shortfall for the full scope of bond projects. Although initial cost projections were adjusted for inflation, the 6 percent increase in construction materials and labor caused by market conditions is significantly higher than expected. The initial list of bond projects must be adjusted to reflect the shortfall.