New building will be named after former Tigard educator Art Rutkin. 

Art Rutkin Elementary School is planned to open in the fall of 2023. The 80,000 square foot, two-story school will hold up to 650 students pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. The campus will include classrooms, administration spaces, library, a large multipurpose gymnasium, a cafeteria and common spaces. Outside of the school, students will have access to a garden, a playground and play field. 

The bond project is predicted to break ground in the early spring of 2021. With two years of development, the district hopes the brand new school will be ready for in-person education.

Due to the spread of the pandemic over the last year, the process that projected an opening date of fall 2021 has been disrupted. 

“While the pandemic has presented logistical and communication challenges that all businesses and agencies have been forced to navigate, we are now meeting (remotely) with the City of Tigard weekly and hope to push through the permitting process in order to break ground in the May/June time-frame of 2021,” Bond Support Administrator Eric Nesse said.

The organization is working on establishing boundaries determining TTSD students’ future with Art Rutkin. The administration has asked parents to give feedback towards the decision. 

“These meetings will likely commence in the fall of 2021, providing families with ample time to adjust to any boundary changes that are necessary to create equitable enrollments in the surrounding TTSD elementary schools,” Nesse said. 

Art Rutkin is the newest school building to be introduced to TTSD in decades. Board members and district employees are excited for the launch of the new school.