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If you live in Puyallup, you have probably driven past Costco heading west on 112th and noticed the sign announcing the Puyallup School District Support Campus. School buses, food service trucks, and a variety of District vehicles travel in and out of the property throughout the school day.
This central location west of Costco, at 1501 39th Ave. SW, has become an important hub in the infrastructure of the District. Programs that serve Puyallup students are being relocated and consolidated to improve efficiency, save costs, and reduce the need for ongoing leased building space.
Currently, the 19.2-acre Support Campus includes Food and Nutrition, Educational Technology and Engagement Center, Logistics Support and the central warehouse, Student Records, Print Shop, and South Hill Transportation.
By the year 2021 students will be attending classes at the Support Campus.
Kessler Center set to open in summer of 2021.
A 38,000 square foot multipurpose student services center is currently under construction at the District’s South Hill Support Campus and is set to open summer 2021. Officially named the Kessler Center in honor of the Kessler family who sold the site to the district in 1986, the student services center will serve:
• Puyallup Digital Learning program and students
• Advance Program and students (Special Services young adult program)
• Child Find
• Highly Capable headquarters
• Puyallup Special Services staff
Student enrollment at Puyallup Digital Learning is growing by leaps and bounds. There are currently more than 400 students and nearly 30 staff members. In 2013-14 when it began there were 19 students enrolled.
The growth of PDL and the impact on students’ lives is a story of success. It has filled a gap that allows those who are not able to complete high school to have a second chance, students who have circumstances or special needs that interfere with traditional school to have another option, and a choice for students who want to advance their learning and possibly graduate early.
The Advance Program serves students as a transition program for adult students with disabilities. Planning with the end in mind, the program helps students find competitive/supported employment, volunteer opportunities, community participation, and when appropriate, daily living skills. There are opportunities at the Support Campus to provide on-site job skills training.
The central location of the Kessler Center will be key for staff professional development training.
The Kessler Center is funded through State Match funds from the 2015 bond program. When districts build new schools, expand, or modernize existing schools they may be eligible for state matching funds from the School Construction Assistance Program. The voter approved 2015 School Construction and Facility Improvements bond projects have allowed the district to meet the requirements of the program.