With the Renton School District growing by about 200 students consistently for the past five years, the district continues to review property for new school buildings.

The Sartori Education Center, located at 315 Garden Ave. North in Renton, is one option for the district to build a new elementary school to accommodate student growth in the district. District staff have begun work to review property where a new elementary school might be built.

The process involves:

• looking at existing district-owned property,

• expanding current sites by purchasing houses or businesses immediately adjacent to district property, and

• looking for land to purchase that could be developed into a school site, stated a district press release.

According to the district, building on existing land, and even purchasing adjacent property to expand a district-owned site, is much more cost effective than buying new land and developing it into a school site.

An elementary school site that houses 400 students typically measures about 5 acres to accommodate the school, space for school buses, staff parking and playfields.

The Sartori site is just over three acres and is centrally located in an area of growth.The district affirms that this is only the initial phase of the work to locate an area that can accommodate a new elementary school.

Any substantive planning would include convening a committee to create a plan, would need School Board approval, and would have to be approved by voters in a school construction bond measure.