Cheney Public Schools Bond Advisory Team Meeting August 11 2025
The Cheney Public Schools Bond Advisory Team (BAT) held their monthly meeting on Monday, August 11, 2025.
Background on the BAT from the district's website:
The Bond Advisory Team provides input for implementing projects funded by the November 2024 bond for Cheney Public Schools. The team supports transparency, accountability, and the effective use of bond funds to meet the District's capital improvement needs.
The Bond Advisory Team is comprised of 17 volunteers across our district including a school board member, an administrator, staff members, community members, and students. Members were required to submit an application to be part of the team by January 15, 2025.
Information about the November 2024 bond and the Bond Advisory Team can be found on the district's website.
Craig Road Elementary
Preparation for the new Craig Road elementary school continues with the completion of the validation report draft, submission of SEPA and grading permit, and the continuation of the conditional use permit process. Utility and foundation work is expected to begin on site in March 2026.
The design of the Craig Road elementary has been altered slightly, switching the gym and music room:
Moving the gym gives the building a more aesthetically pleasing profile:
Cheney HS Stadium
The track has been resurfaced and is ready for use.
The bleacher additions to the home side have been completed. The visitors' side bleachers have been installed, as well as lighting and an ADA-compliant path to them.
Locker Rooms
While the new lockers were installed last spring, the locker rooms received a fresh coat of paint and an epoxy floor. The locker rooms were redesigned to have a "team meeting" area where players could gather with a whiteboard for coaches.
Bus Loops
Both the Salnave and Windsor Elementaries bus loops have made progress over the summer and will be ready for use in the '25-'26 school year.
Mechanical & Safety Improvements
• New chillers have been installed at Windsor, Salnave, and Betz Elementaries.
• 2N front door access security has been installed at Windsor Elementary, Snowdon Elementary, Cheney Middle School, and Westwood Middle School.
• Installation of the Salnave Elementary boilers and pumps are nearly complete and work will begin on switchgear.
• Quotes have been received to install laminated glass at all district vestibules.
• While currently working on product selection and logistics, district-wide LED lighting updates will likely begin in the '26-'27 school year.
• New hot water heaters and water softeners are at a similar stage, with work expected in the '26-'27 school year.
Windsor & Salnave Kitchen Improvements
Nutrition Services Director LJ Klinkenberg is working to finalize the kitchen expansions at Windsor and Salnave Elementaries that will allow meals to be fully prepared on-site. Project bidding will be held in November and December, and construction should begin around Spring Break 2026.
Tie-Old-to-New
District buildings have gone through various updates through the years that have left some areas of the buildings feeling "old" and other areas "new." Re-carpeting and painting entire buildings will promote a more "cohesive" feeling.
Work will begin at Betz Elementary over Summer 2026 while Cheney High School's work will need both Summer 2026 and 2027.
Land Update
The purchase of land for a new secondary school north of I-90 has been challenging.
A typical 3A high school requires 50 acres. For reference, Cheney High School currently sits on approximately 30 acres. There aren't many 50 acre parcels available.
The new school cannot be built in the flight and runway paths of Fairchild Air Force Base and Spokane International Airport. District officials met with representatives from Fairchild, Airway Heights, and Spokane County to confirm where these areas are located.
Land along Deno Road across from the Airway Heights Recreation Center is large enough and outside of the restricted areas, but is currently considered part of the Great Northern School District.
Great Northern School District serves students grades kindergarten through sixth grade, after which students transfer to another school district. Many of their students come to Cheney Public Schools.
Great Northern is willing to move district boundaries to allow the Deno Road land to be within Cheney Public Schools in hopes the a secondary school would be built in the area, benefiting their older students.
Resolutions are being presented to both districts' school boards for approval.
Elementary Attendance Boundary Work
The district shared its expected timeline for redrawing elementary attendance boundaries to include the new Craig Road elementary.
• Project Initiation - July 2025 data
• Collection & Analysis - August 2025 through September 2025
• Scenario Development & Community Feedback - October 2025 through May 2026
• Recommendation & Approval - June 2026
• Implementation Planning - July through September 2026
• Implementation - September 2027
Snowdon Sidewalks
Spokane County received a Safe Routes to School Grant that would allow the county to put a sidewalk along the south side of Hallett Road from Chumani Road to Holly Road. This would enable students from that neighborhood to walk safely to school and eliminate a bus route. However, no timeline for implemention has been released.
Board of Directors Meeting
The public is invited to attend the next regular meeting of the Cheney Board of Directors will be Wednesday, August 20, 2025 at 5:30 pm in the Cheney High School library. The agenda can be found here. There will be four reports: summer atheltic program update, enrollment and financial report, superintendent report, and the Craig Road elementary validation report. There is no old business. New business includes Resolution No. 30-24-25 Covering the Transfer of Territory Between Destricts, the Progressive Design-Build Contract and Garco Proposal for the Craig Road elementary school, and the contract for the Salnave and Windsor kitchen expansions.