Case Study: Ellensburg School District restores pride and passes bond to save Morgan Middle School with Thoughtexchange

Technology helps Ellensburg School District restore pride in historic school

Ellensburg School District in Washington faced a difficult choice: Morgan Middle School, a Depression‑Era building with strong community ties, had become structurally unsound and unable to support modern learning needs. Four bond measures failed, and traditional outreach like surveys and town halls proved unable to capture the community input needed to break the stalemate.

The District partnered with Thoughtexchange to run a large‑scale, confidential online engagement that reached 573 participants who shared 1,828 thoughts and assigned 21,184 stars to priorities. That data revealed broad support for preserving the historic school through a hybrid approach—partial renovation plus new construction—enabling technology upgrades, expanded arts and sports facilities, and a bond measure that ultimately passed, restoring community confidence and momentum for the District’s strategic plan.

Ellensburg School District

Paul Farris

Superintendent