The School Capacity and Utilization Task Force (SCUT), a committee of citizens, school representatives, Parent Teacher Association (PTA), Puyallup Education Association (PEA), and district staff, held its second meeting of the 2025, 2026 school year on October 14 at the Karshner Center. The group focused on the Waller Road Elementary feasibility study, marking the first in-depth review of possible alternative housing plans for students should the School Board decide to make future facility changes. 

Waller Road Facility Review 

District staff presented detailed information about Waller Road Elementary, including its age, condition, and capacity. Built in 1920 and last remodeled in 1985, the school currently serves 309 students, exceeding its functional capacity of 238 without portables. Waller Road Elementary is our only school located within the boundary of the Puyallup Tribe’s lands. With a building condition score of 40, Waller Road is eligible for state modernization funding. Members also reviewed approximately $4.7 million in levy, funded capital projects planned or underway at the site. 

Brian Devereux, Director of Facilities for the Puyallup School District, emphasized the importance of maintaining transparency and focusing on data rather than assumptions. “This task force is not being asked to decide whether a school closes,” he said. “Our role is to study the facts, explore what’s possible, and help the Board understand the potential impacts if students need to find another home due to poor building conditions.” 

Discussion and Key Themes 

Task force members examined how possible changes could affect student placement, capacity balance, equitable access, and neighborhood continuity. Small, group discussions explored alternative housing plan scenarios and considered how programs such as Transition to Kindergarten might be affected by any adjustments. 

Programs at neighboring schools were also reviewed, including the Dual Language program at Karshner Elementary and Aylen Junior High.  Aylen will receive the first Dual Language cohort from Dessie Evans Elementary in 2026-27, in addition to a new cohort from Karshner Elementary, as the program grows at its Junior High location, which will limit available space at that campus in the future. 

A key theme that emerged from the conversation was the importance of keeping cohorts of children together whenever possible. Members expressed a shared commitment to minimizing disruption to students’ learning communities and maintaining consistency in their educational and social experiences. The group also discussed the value of preserving feeder patterns, ensuring that even if elementary boundaries shift, students will reconnect with their peers in junior high and high school. Task force members acknowledge that these considerations are deeply personal for families and staff and carry long-term implications for school communities. 

 

Questions, Ideas, and Fiscal Considerations 

Throughout the meeting, members raised thoughtful questions to help refine the feasibility study and ensure decisions are grounded in complete, accurate information. To encourage collaboration and creativity, the task force worked in four small groups to explore a variety of scenarios and perspectives. 

All four discussion groups considered similar options for managing student placement. Several groups discussed the potential of temporarily housing sixth graders at Aylen Junior High, a scenario that could help maintain feeder patterns and reduce student displacement.  The four portable classrooms at Aylen Junior High today were added nearly a decade ago to house sixth graders from Fruitland Elementary for several years prior to the opening of Dessie Evans Elementary in 2019-20 and other elementary schools included in the 2015 Bond.  

In addition to studying available space at nearby neighborhood schools, task force members reviewed the number of existing portable classrooms on each property and assessed whether additional portables could be relocated to increase capacity. Some schools, such as Woodland Elementary, cannot accommodate more portables due to septic system limitations. Others, like Fruitland Elementary, have limited room for expansion but would require restroom portables to adequately support increased enrollment. Even with the addition of portables, core facilities such as kitchens, gyms, and cafeterias would be insufficient to serve the larger number of students. Relocating a single portable classroom costs more than $300,000, while adding a portable restroom, with the necessary infrastructure, can cost at least $600,000. These factors highlight the operational and fiscal challenges the district must carefully weigh as part of the overall study. 

Throughout the discussion, members acknowledged the complexity and sensitivity of the topic and expressed a shared understanding of how potential changes could affect students, staff, and families. The group remains committed to conducting its work with transparency, compassion, and attention to both data and community impact. 

What Comes Next 

The meeting concluded with appreciation for the detailed information shared and anticipation for the next step in the process, when the same feasibility study approach will be applied to Spinning Elementary. 

The task force will continue meeting this fall on October 28, November 12, and December 2, before presenting its alternative housing feasibility report to the School Board at a study session on December 12. 

Community members are encouraged to follow the process and review meeting materials at puyallupsd.org/SCUT. 

The district remains committed to providing safe, supportive, and high, quality learning environments while thoughtfully navigating facility and capacity challenges.