This bill amends existing Washington state laws to provide school districts with greater flexibility in siting schools outside of urban growth areas. Specifically, it allows for the establishment of schools in rural areas that serve urban students, provided that the new school site is contiguous to an existing school within the same district. The bill removes previous population and county proximity requirements for siting schools in rural areas and introduces new conditions, such as the necessity for counties to adopt comprehensive plans addressing rural school siting and to mitigate any environmental impacts as required by the state environmental policy act.

Additionally, the bill clarifies that counties and affected cities cannot refuse to extend public facilities and utilities to new school sites that are contiguous to existing schools. It also stipulates that any impacts associated with the siting of these schools must be mitigated, and it allows for the extension of public facilities beyond urban growth areas under certain conditions. The bill includes a sunset provision, stating that these changes will expire on June 30, 2031.

Statutes affected:
Original bill: 36.70A.211, 36.70A.213