Seattle schools have $485 million maintenance backlog

Seattle Public Schools has roughly $485 million in deferred maintenance on its school buildings and properties, largely because of construction-levy failures in the '90s and inadequate state funding for education, School Board members were told Wednesday.

The district has had a substantial backlog of maintenance and repair projects for decades, but the district's facilities staff members gave the School Board an updated figure during a work session to discuss updating the district's facilities master plan.

The document is intended to guide the district's use of its buildings and properties. The plan relies on demographic projections, enrollment trends and other data to determine the district's building needs and gives guidelines for making priorities for capital projects, from minor maintenance to major renovations.

A final draft of the plan should be completed next month, and the School Board is expected to vote on whether to accept the final plan March 26.