Rep. Peter Abbarno tours Woodland, Ridgefield schools
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Rep. Peter Abbarno tours Woodland, Ridgefield schools
State Rep. Peter Abbarno joined school administrators, staff, and architects Wednesday on a tour of educational facilities in the Woodland and Ridgefield school districts.
Abbarno’s first stop was Woodland Middle School. Officials said the district needs a fourth elementary school, as well as significant upgrades to all or part of these schools.
Next, he visited Columbia Elementary School in Woodland, where the district expects to have more than 670 new housing units over the next five years.
The tour capped off with a visit to Ridgefield High School. With a lack of bond funding, the district has taken a phased approach to upgrades for this school, which has a mix of old and new buildings.
“We must do more to ensure our students have access to safe, modern school facilities. That’s one of my top priorities,” said Abbarno, R-Centralia, ranking member on the House Capital Budget Committee. “As a legislator, husband to a teacher, and father of two school-aged children, these tours offer a great opportunity to meet with school administrators, teachers, and students about how to best serve the educational needs of the next generation.”
During the 2023 legislative session, Abbarno was instrumental in developing the 2023-25 capital budget, Senate Bill 5200, which directed $872 million for K-12 education.
The tours were organized by the Washington Association of Maintenance and Operation Administrators (WAMOA), a professional organization dedicated to the management of maintenance and operations of educational facilities in Washington state.
“Education is the great equalizer. The best investment the state can make to end the cycle of intergenerational poverty is education,” added Abbarno. “I appreciate all the hard work of the folks at the Washington Association of Maintenance and Operation Administrators that went into sponsoring this tour.”
The 2024 legislative session is scheduled to convene on Jan. 8.
From left to right (front): Stacy Brown, executive director, business services; Mitch Denning, WAMOA consultant; Jeff Wray, vice-president, Woodland School District board of directors; and Brian Wrigley, facilities director, Woodland School District
From left to right (back): Phil Partington, Southwest regional coordinator, OSPI school facilities and organization; Tyler Muench, director, advocacy and external affairs/governmental relations, Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI); Rep. Peter Abbarno; David Starkey, principal, Columbia Elementary School; Michael Green, superintendent, Woodland School District; Don Luthardt, Johannson Wing Architects, American Institute of Architects, Washington Council (AIAWA) representative; and Steve Williams, PSC Structural, Association for Learning Environments (A4LE) representative.
From left to right (front): Mitch Denning, WAMOA consultant; Rep. Peter Abbarno; Stacy Brown, executive director, business services; Jeff Wray, vice-president, Woodland School District board of directors; Jessica Beehner, facilities supervisor, Washougal School District and WAMO representative; Brian Wrigley, facilities director, Woodland School District; and Dr. Russell Evans, principal, Woodland Middle School.
From left to right front (back): Don Luthardt, Johannson Wing Architects, American Institute of Architects, Washington Council (AIAWA) representative; Michael Green, superintendent, Woodland School District; Tyler Muench, director, advocacy and external affairs/governmental relations, OSPI; Phil Partington, Southwest regional coordinator, OSPI school facilities and organization; and Steve Williams, PSC Structural, Association for Learning Environments (A4LE) representative.
From left to right: Phil Partington, Southwest regional coordinator, OSPI school facilities and organization; Mitch Denning, WAMOA consultant; Tyler Muench, director, advocacy and external affairs/governmental relations, OSPI; Steve Williams, PSC Structural, Association for Learning Environments (A4LE) representative; Don Luthardt, Johannson Wing Architects, American Institute of Architects, Washington Council (AIAWA) representative; Chris Griffith, interim superintendent, Ridgefield School District; Rep. Peter Abbarno; and Tiffany Gould, director College/Career and Technical Education and federal programs.
