Cheney Public Schools is making progress on the development of a new $36 million elementary school that will increase student capacity and provide much-needed public gathering spaces on the West Plains. 

District Superintendent Ben Ferney says the project, which is tentatively dubbed Craig Road Elementary School, is needed to accommodate significant population growth in the city of Airway Heights.

"We have enough growth to support two elementary schools in Airway Heights," says Ferney.

The new school will be in addition to the existing Sunset Elementary School, located at 12824 W. 12th, about 1 1/2 miles southeast of the Craig Road school development site, he adds.

Construction is set to begin next spring and wrap up in summer 2027. Preliminary design work already is underway and geotechnical studies at the property are scheduled to start this month. A final design plan is expected by June, followed by early-site work to start this fall. 

Atlanta-based construction management and consulting company Turner & Townsend Heery is helping oversee and manage the project for the district. Jonathan Miller, program manager at Turner & Townsend Heery, says a key element of the new school is incorporating access to public spaces that can be used for various community activities.

"One of those spaces is going to be like an expanded gym, not your standard 5,000-square-foot gym that you'll see at a normal elementary," Miller explains. 

A community room for classes, meetings, or other activities also is under consideration at the site to provide a public space that could be used during the school's off hours.

"That could be reserved by the community and kind of blocked off from the rest of the school," says Miller. "Airway Heights had a huge lift in helping get the bond passed, so this element is extremely important to the project."

Teeter Crocker Inc., a Seattle-based educational consulting company, currently is working on defining the educational needs for the new school, including the number and layout of classrooms and other learning areas, Miller says.

A design advisory team composed of community members, district staff, parents, and potentially some students also is being assembled to help guide specific design details for the new school.

While specific design elements are still in the conceptual stage, the general vision for the school is to create functional and adaptable spaces conducive to modern learning methods and to accommodate future advancements, Ferney says.

In May, the design advisory team is planning to tour elementary schools in the Central Valley, Mead, and Spokane school districts to learn about what's been working or not at some of the newly built and renovated properties--and to determine which of those elements can be applied to the Craig Road school project. 

"We're building a school for the future," Ferney says. "Some of our buildings were built in the '50s, '60s, '70s, so we've got to make sure that what we build is functional and it can serve education in 50 years too."

Cheney School District is working with Spokane-based Integrus Architecture PS and Garco Construction Inc. to lead the progressive design-build project.

The next step involves soil and ground studies that are scheduled at the 11.5-acre property this month, Miller says.

The district's goal is to finalize some of the development details, including the school building's footprint, parent and bus drop-off locations, and placement of the playfield at the property by June, a crucial step to facilitate early site preparation that's anticipated to begin this fall.

Early-site work will involve preparing the school's building pad and addressing any moisture-sensitive soil conditions at the property that will give crews a head start when construction is scheduled to begin in spring 2026.

The building is expected to be substantially completed in June 2027—an earlier construction turnover than typical elementary school project timelines, Miller says. Opening early will give the public access to the proposed community spaces right away, instead of having the community wait for the start of school.

Craig Road Elementary School is expected to open to students in fall 2027, says Ferney.

The expected student capacity is about 500 students.

Operating two elementary schools in Airway Heights is expected to positively impact the identity of the community by allowing more students to attend school in their neighborhood, Ferney says.

He explains that when students are able to walk to school, their connection to the community strengthens, and the increased neighborhood focus in turn strengthens the community's sense of self, Ferney says.

"It's always great to have schools where the kids are," says Ferney, who adds that when the new elementary school opens, the district's elementary school boundaries also will change.

In addition to Sunset Elementary School, students who live in Airway Heights attend Snowden Elementary School, located at 6323 S. Holly Road, in Cheney; Windsor Elementary School, at 5504 W. Hallett Road, in west Spokane; and Betz Elementary School, located at 317 N. Seventh, in Cheney.

Craig Road Elementary School is being funded as part of a $72 million bond effort that was approved by voters last November. A total development cost of $47.5 million has been allocated, and the guaranteed maximum price of construction is $36 million, Miller says.

"One of the beautiful things about this progressive design-build method is you're designing to a budget rather than crossing your fingers and hoping that the project comes in within bid on bid day," says Miller. "This gives us a lot more control over the cost and scope."

Ferney says there's excitement within the district and the West Plains community for the new school.

"If you look at the support out of the precincts, it was all of our community that supported (the bond)," Ferney says. "It's really neat to see three distinct communities pull the rope together in the same direction and I'm beyond thrilled that it passed for the elementary school."

The approved bond will support tenant improvements at the district's other elementary schools including the replacement of some old heating and cooling systems, bus loops to help the flow of traffic for improved safety, and kitchen upgrades to expand meal capacity.

Cheney Public Schools is planning to accommodate future growth in the district by budgeting for land purchases for additional schools in addition to updating its aging structures.

"Cheney is being very smart in planning for future growth because land is hard to come by," Miller says. "It's very smart that Cheney has that vision to actually secure land right now so that when the need is there, they have a place to build."