Washington school district wants new cafeteria to be a ‘destination’

It took a few weeks before state Rep. Hans Dunshee called the Marysville School District headquarters.

He understood he would have been low on the priority list in the aftermath of the Oct. 24 Marysville Pilchuck High School shootings that took the lives of five freshmen, including the boy with the gun.

They didn't need a politician bothering them. So he bided his time.

When he reached the superintendent's office in November, he was referred to the district's finance director.

Dunshee's question was simple: Did the district want a new cafeteria to replace the one closed after the shootings?

The short answer, after an online survey of students, parents and the community, was yes. Students didn't want to ever go back into the old building.

“We were very anxious to come up with a plan and some resources to replace our cafeteria commons on a completely different location on our campus with the intent to come back and demolish it,” said Jim Baker, the district's finance director. “We have absolutely no intent of using that space ever again.”

Quietly, Dunshee and the district worked with the state Superintendent of Public Instruction's office. State schools Superintendent Randy Dorn in early December toured the 84-acre campus, walking through the closed cafeteria and a makeshift eating space in the MPHS gym.