Benge School remodeled for new school year

Almost 30 miles from Ritzville lies the unincorporated community of Benge. Benge is home to less than 100 people. Some of Benge's children, including all high schoolers, go to school elsewhere. Children in grades K-6, however, have the option of attending Benge School.

For the 2018-19 school year, 12 children attended the school. And when children return to school this September, they will find a newly remodeled building waiting for them.

Benge School District Superintendent Thomas Pulliam says the school was overdue for a remodel.

"It was built in 1957 and hasn't really been updated since," Pulliam said.

The school was built and opened two years after a fire burned down the prior school in 1955. It is getting a new heating system, all new windows and carpeting. It is also getting foam insulation and air conditioning for the first time.

"It could get really hot in the classrooms," Pulliam said. "Especially in the fall and spring. So the air conditioning will be great."

Also included in the refit is a new security locking system and an ADA compliant wheelchair ramp.

The remodel is being paid for with over $700,000 of state funding. According to Pulliam, Benge School teacher and assistant superintendent Bob Moore is largely responsible for attaining the funding.

Moore said efforts all started because of an old boiler.

"Our boiler is 61 years old," Moore said. "It is the original boiler from 1957 when the school was built. It's old and it's getting harder to find parts. The board recognized we needed to do something to get a new heating system."

Moore, who was the superintendent at the time, said he quickly determined local funding would never be enough to pay for the project.

"I looked into non-voted debt," Moore said. "But that would have been only about $80,000, which doesn't even touch the project. I looked into bonds, which would be about 5% of our district's valuation. That would have done it, but the tax burden on our tax payers would have been in excess of anything that would have been realistic."

Moore then shifted his focus to finding state provided money. He found a fund that lawmakers in Washington made for schools in rural areas. The Small Rural Modernization Grant dedicated just over $15.4 million to upgrade schools in districts with under 1,000 students.

Moore realized that with some of that money, Benge could do more than just replace the heating system.

"In November of 2018, I sent off our grant application," Moore said. "The amount Benge got was the amount I submitted: $729,952."

Glass work for the remodel is being done by Steve's Glass and the overall project is being coordinated by Sullivan Construction.