Operations & Maintenance

Capital Facilities Planning Guidelines

Washington school districts are required to plan carefully for the facilities needed to serve current and future students. Under the Growth Management Act (GMA) and related state regulations, districts participate in Capital Facilities Planning to ensure that schools, classrooms, and infrastructure keep pace with community growth.

Below is an overview of the core guidelines that shape capital facilities planning for Washington school districts.

What Is a Capital Facilities Plan (CFP)?

A Capital Facilities Plan is a long-range, data-driven plan that identifies:

• Current school facility capacity
• Projected student enrollment
• Future facility needs
• The funding sources needed to support new or expanded facilities

District CFPs are used by cities and counties when planning land use and may also be required when a jurisdiction collects school impact fees.

A 5-year plan is approved by the school board each year. 

Capital Facilities Plan

Yelm Community Schools is committed to responsible stewardship of its buildings and resources.

Why This Work Matters

• Washington’s Clean Buildings Performance Standard requires large buildings to reduce energy use and improve performance.
• We track energy use, identify efficiency improvements and practices, and invest in better building systems to protect taxpayer funds and support long-term sustainability.
• We determine efficient building operations to reduce operate costs and create healthy learning environments for students and staff.

Goals

• Strengthen efficiency across daily operations and capital planning.
• Provide transparent, actionable energy usage data to the public.
• Meet all state energy performance requirements.
• Establish baselines and long-term reduction targets for every facility.

Tracking Energy Performance

ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager gathers real-time data from Puget Sound Energy and Tacoma Public Utilities. All district buildings included in the Clean Buildings Standard are tracked for:

• Weather normalized energy use
• Comparison to state targets
• Annual performance progress
• Five-year compliance requirements

Next Steps in Improving Performance

The district advances energy efficiency through

• Reviewing performance trends using ENERGY STAR reports and evaluations of energy consumption using advanced analytics provided by Velocity Building Technical Services
• Providing staff communication on energy management practices
• Seeking grant funding to improve indoor air quality and HVAC efficiency

Washington school impact fee guidelines require fees to fund proportionate, growth-related capital facility needs (like new schools), not fix existing problems, and must be spent within 10 years or refunded. Cities/counties collect fees but districts manage them in dedicated accounts, reporting annually, with developers getting credits for land/improvements, but they can't double-pay for the same facilities. 

Understanding School Impact Fees in Washington

In Washington, when new housing or development occurs, cities, counties, or towns often collect “impact fees” — one-time charges intended to offset the additional public costs created by that new growth (e.g. more students, more demand on roads, parks, fire services). Under state law, these fees can include charges for school facilities, meaning that new development helps fund new school capacity.

Here’s how it works for school districts under state law and common practice.

What the Law Allows — Who Can Collect and What Facilities

• Under the Growth Management Act (GMA) — specifically the provisions in RCW 82.02.050 and related statutes — jurisdictions planning under the GMA may impose impact fees to pay for certain categories of public capital facilities. These include public streets/roads; publicly-owned parks, open space, and recreation facilities; fire protection facilities; and school facilities. MRSC+2Washington State Auditor+2
• Impact fees are not mandatory statewide; local governments choose (voluntarily) whether to adopt them. MRSC+1
• Importantly: while the local government (city/county/town) collects impact fees, the fee revenues intended for schools are passed on to the relevant school district. School districts themselves generally don’t “collect” the fee directly. MRSC+2impactfees.com+2

Legal Requirements and Limits on Use of Impact Fees

When a jurisdiction imposes impact fees — including school impact fees — they must follow several legal and regulatory constraints:

• Only for capital facilities (not operating costs). Impact fees can fund new or expanded buildings, additions, or infrastructure — e.g. new classrooms or school buildings — but cannot be used for ongoing costs such as teacher salaries, utilities, daily operations, or maintenance. MRSC+1
• Must be “reasonably related” to the new development. The fees must reflect the additional burden created by the new development — for example, more residents could mean more students. Fees can only cover “system improvements” for which demand increases because of new development. They must not be used to fix existing deficiencies in school capacity that existed before the development. MRSC+2Legal Information Institute+2
• Proportionate share rule. The fee assessed must represent a fair portion of the cost of improvements needed to serve the new development — not more. In other words, new development shouldn’t be overcharged. Legal Information Institute+1
• Must benefit the new development. The improvements financed must meaningfully serve the new development (e.g. increased school capacity) rather than unrelated or general uses. Legal Information Institute+1
• Must be included in a capital facilities plan. The school facilities funded through impact fees must be identified in the jurisdiction’s (county or city) Comprehensive Plan’s capital facilities element, per GMA requirements. MRSC+2Snohomish County+2

Administration, Accounting, and Timing Rules

Because impact fees are meant to be carefully managed, there are rules governing how they must be handled administratively:

• Fees collected must be kept in special, interest-bearing accounts, separate by facility type (e.g., one for school fees, one for fire, roads, etc.). All interest earned belongs to the account and must be used for the facility type for which the fee was charged. WA Law+2WA Law+2
• Local governments must produce annual reports showing how much was collected in each account, and what improvements have been financed with those funds. WA Law+2WA Law+2
• Fees must generally be expended or encumbered within 10 years of collection for permissible school facility purposes — unless the local government adopts a written finding of an “extraordinary and compelling reason” to hold them longer. WA Law+2Code Publishing+2
• If the funds are not used within that timeframe, or the development doesn’t proceed and no impact materializes, fees may need to be refunded to the payer. Law Files+2Code Publishing+2

How It Works Locally — Cooperation Between School Districts and Jurisdictions

Because school districts aren’t usually authorized to collect fees directly, implementing a school-impact-fee program requires cooperation between a district and the city/county/town. The city/county collects the fees at building-permit issuance for the district, then transfers them to the district for school facility use. The district’s capital facilities plan (CFP) must align with the county’s comprehensive plan.

What Impact Fees Cannot Be Used For

Because of the statutory constraints:

• Impact fees cannot be used to fix existing school facility problems that predate the new development — i.e. they cannot address school overcrowding or deficiencies caused by prior population, only the additional demand created by the new development. MRSC+1
• They cannot fund day-to-day operations, staffing, supplies, or general maintenance. Only capital construction, expansion or other long-lived facility improvements are eligible. MRSC+1

 

None at this time

At Yelm Community Schools, the safety of our students, staff, and visitors is our top priority. Our districtwide Safety Program focuses on creating secure, well-prepared learning environments through proactive planning, regular training, and ongoing facility improvements. From emergency preparedness to safe daily operations, we work to ensure every school is a safe place to learn and grow.

District Safety Committee

Our Safety Committee is made up of representatives from across the district, including school staff, administrators and community members. The committee meets quarterly to review safety practices, analyze incidents, and recommend improvements. Their work helps us stay aligned with state safety requirements and continually strengthen our prevention and response efforts.

How to Report an Accident or Safety Concern

We encourage all staff, students, and families to report accidents, injuries, or potential safety concerns right away.

• Staff: Notify your supervisor immediately and complete the district’s online form provided by ESD 113 Worker's Compensation Trust

Employee Accident/Incident Report Form 

• Families and Students: If an accident occurs at school, on the bus, or during a school activity, please contact the school office as soon as possible and complete the 

Non-Employee Accident Form

• Urgent hazards or unsafe conditions: Call your school office or the district Facilities Department so we can respond quickly.

Prompt reporting helps us ensure proper care, identify hazards, and prevent future incidents.

Additional School Safety Information

What to do in an Emergency

School Safety & Resources page

We take the safety of our students and community very seriously and work in partnership with local agencies, to assure the safety and quality of our water. Per state mandate, we periodically test the drinking water in our schools for lead.

While the district understands water quality test results can cause concern, the Department of Health wants parents to know that drinking water is not a primary source of lead exposure. If you are concerned about your child's health, please contact their healthcare provider.

Guidelines For Water Quality Testing

• We follow information and guidance from the state Department of Health for lead testing. Read more about the process at the Washington State Dept. of Health Testing for Lead in Schools Website.
• In some cases of infrequent or rare fixture use, water may have sat in the pipes for significantly longer. Per the EPA the length of time water remains in the pipes is one of the factors involved in the extent to which lead enters the water. To learn more about how lead gets into drinking water, visit the epa.gov website. 
• Note: Levels high enough to require remediation or mitigation do not necessarily indicate health effects.

How does the Testing Process Work?

Step 1: An nventory is created for all water fixtures at each school used for drinking or cooking.

Step 2: Water samples are collected from fixtures by a third party and sent to accredited lab for testing.

Step 3: Results are reviewed and fall into one of three categories and determine if remediation is needed.

• 0 to 5 parts per billion (ppb): No action is required.
• Greater than 5 ppb and up to 15 ppb: Remediation is required. If possible, stop using all outlets with lead levels above 5 ppb and provide an alternative water source until remediation is completed. Some outlets may be restricted to a specific use only, such as “hand wash only,” until remediation is completed. Examine food safety requirements for food preparation areas before considering this option in school kitchens.
• Greater than 15 ppb: Any fixture testing above 15 ppb is immediately taken out of service. The fixture is replaced using lead free certified fixtures, piping and solder.  The new fixture is then tested to verify that lead levels are below the threshold.  If the results are below the threshold, the new fixture is put into operation.

Step 4: Corrective action is taken to reduce lead levels through replacement or repair.

Step 5: Fixtures are resampled to determine if they can be returned to service.

What is the district plan to test fixtures?

Public K–12 school buildings built, or with all plumbing replaced, before 2016 are required to have drinking water tested for lead. Schools  must have their drinking water tested for lead at least once between July 1, 2014, and June 30, 2026. Retesting is required at least once every five years beginning July 1, 2026.

A report will be provided to the board within six months of the testing results with an action plan if remediation of any fixtures is required.

School	Sampling Date	Results	Action Plan
Fort Stevens Elementary	TBD
Lackamas Elementary	TBD
McKenna Elementary	TBD
Mill Pond Elementary	TBD
Prairie Elementary	TBD
Ridgeline Middle School	TBD
Yelm High School	TBD

 

Learn more about lead in drinking water?

Environmental Protection Agency Website

Washington State Dept. of Health Testing for Lead in Schools Website.

• Lead in Drinking Water 
• Lead in School Drinking Water
• Lead Risk & Exposure Data
• Lead Testing in Your Home 
• Common Sources of Lead