The Oak Harbor School District has finally broken ground for the construction of two new buildings that will bring down the number of portable classrooms in use at the schools.
This step was celebrated with two ceremonies held on Tuesday and Wednesday on the sites that will host the new Crescent Harbor Elementary and Hand-in-Hand Early Learning Center/HomeConnection schools.
Due to their location on military installations and their failing infrastructure, the replacement of these buildings is happening at no direct cost to local taxpayers. Superintendent Michelle Kuss-Cybula said she has recently met with some economics professors at the University of Washington, who could not believe Oak Harbor was granted this unprecedented opportunity.
To get to this point, she said, it took “many years and many people.”
The buildings were eligible to get 80% of the costs covered by the Department of Defense as long as the district could provide a 20% match. After a $121 million bond measure failed to win a supermajority in February 2023, the district secured $27.5 million in state funds in Olympia with the support of Sen. Ron Muzzall, Rep. Clyde Shavers and Rep. Dave Paul, who also attended the groundbreaking.
In August, the district received $66.3 million to fund the construction of Hand in Hand Learning Center and $70.6 million to fund the construction of Crescent Harbor Elementary School. The respective total price tags are estimated to be $80.4 million and $84.3 million.
Since Hand-in-Hand Early Learning Center/HomeConnection is a mouthful, students are being tasked with naming the building, Kuss-Cybula announced.
Other guests included NAS Whidbey Island Commanding Officer Nathan Gammache, student representatives and members of the school board.
In an interview, Board Member Josh MacLean said his children all attend HomeConnection. The current building has space limitations that don’t allow for the expansion of learning opportunities. Thanks to the new building, set to open in 2026, the students’ growth will be accelerated.
Board Member Nikki Tesch got emotional.
“Our families will have two new schools that are safe and equipped with the tools they need for successful learning,” she said. “Our kids deserve nothing less.”
The events, hosted in partnership with Construction Services Group, NAC Architects, Bayley Construction and Tiger Construction, also featured the Flag Presentation by the Oak Harbor High School NJROTC Color Guard and, at Crescent Harbor, the National Anthem sung by a choir of fourth graders.
Photo by Luisa Loi
At left, School Board Members Sharon Jensen and Lynn Goebel, Superintendent Michelle Kuss-Cybula, Student Board Representatives Maggie Litvachuck and Board Members Josh Maclean and Nikki Tesch. (Photo by Luisa Loi)
