To begin the current capital planning process, the Hermiston Board of Education established a Facility Planning Committee in January 2018. This committee was primarily comprised of community stakeholders along with district employees and school board members. The committee was tasked to complete the work necessary to provide long term planning direction and input for administration and Board of Education consideration with regard to capital project planning for Hermiston School District. The committee's objective was to provide a prioritized list of projects necessary for the District to meet growing enrollment, aging school facilities, and student safety and security concerns throughout Hermiston.

The outcome of the Facility Planning Committee was the revision of the District's Facility Master Plan, which provides details of the capital project planning process along with the recommended priorities of necessary projects within the community.