I wanted to take a moment and once again thank the Raymond voters and community for the passage of our EP&O Replacement Levy earlier this year. By passing this levy, you have given the district the foundational support it needs over the next four years to continue the hard work of making the Raymond School District an amazing place to educate our children. Not only did you pass the levy and give us the security we need to move forward, but other great things have been taking place as well.

Raymond Elementary School was recently awarded the Washington State Healthy Kids Grant for $198,800 to replace our aging playground. The principal, staff, and PTO have been working hard to get plans in place and the students are excited for a new playground. Work to remove the old playground has begun, and we plan to have everything installed by the end of summer so it is ready when school starts in the fall.

Raymond School District also recently received an $160,000 OSPI Emergency Repair Grant to replace the basketball support equipment in the gymnasium. The existing support system is the original one from when the gym was built in the early 1950s! We’re excited to know that these new basketball hoop safety supports will last for years to come.

Raymond School District was awarded the OSPI Small Rural Schools Modernization Grant – Phase 1 for $5 million.

The state also added an additional $1 million to help with cost increases. The money will be used to replace the existing HVAC units and bring the Raymond School District into compliance with the new Commercial Clean Building Energy Laws in Washington state. The work is getting underway this summer and the HVAC system should be ready to go for fall.

Additionally, we are thrilled to announce that Raymond School District was also selected for the $6 million Phase 2 portion of the OSPI – Small Rural Schools Modernization Grant. In the summer of 2025, the district will be using these funds to put new metal roofing on both the elementary and high school buildings, and add new safety entrances by replacing doors with security access as a part of our security upgrades. Student safety is our #1 priority.

The Raymond School District is applying for Phase 3 of the OSPI – Small Rural Schools Modernization Grant.

If received, we’re hoping to make other repairs, paint buildings, and continue to upgrade our facilities in multiple other areas too.

The Raymond School District was also recently informed that we made it through the first round of the C.O.A.F. (Community Outdoor Athletics Facility) Grant. We are asking for $385,000 to redo the track facility at Raymond High School.

We recently graduated the class of 2024 and sent our remaining students into summer break.

With the end of another successful school year, we are so very appreciative of the vital support we have received and continue to receive from the Raymond community.

K.C. JOHNSON

Superintendent of Raymond Schools