Balancing Capacity
Across the District
Tips for
Families in Talking with Students About School
Closures
Program Design
Teams
Program Design and Transition teams are being set up to
ensure a strong academic start for fall 2009 and to ensure that
students, families, and staff are well-supported through the
transitions. Additional information will be posted in the near
future.
Quick
Links
January 29, 2009, Special School Board Meeting
Board Approves Capacity Management Plan
On
January 29, 2009, the School Board convened to vote on the
Superintendent’s final recommendations on capacity
management. Click here for the
final recommendation and an
overview of the recommendation. School Board members proposed a
series of amendments.
Following the Board
meeting, which was broadcast live on Channel 26, a
news release was posted on the News
Releases site that summarizes the approved plan. The news
release is also available on the News
& Calendar site. Additional information, including an
updated FAQ, will be added in the next few days.
Summary of Input on
Capacity Management
These
comments summarize public testimony and input received via
e-mail, letters, public hearings and community meetings. Similar
themes have been grouped into one summary comment.
Functional Capacity
Analysis - January 14, 2009
An
analysis of functional capacity at school buildings is now
complete. An overview of results is available
here, and a school-by-school analysis is shown
in this document.
Final Recommendation
Announced January 6, 2009
On
January 6, Superintendent Maria L. Goodloe-Johnson, Ph.D.,
announced her final recommendations on building closure and program
moves. The recommendation, proposed to take effect for the 2009-10
school year, includes:
• five buildings will be closed, including one that may
reopen;
• eight programs would move from one building to
another;
• one new program would be created (a new K-8 school in
Northeast Seattle); and
• five programs would be discontinued and their students
reassigned for fall 2009.
Final Recommendation Summary
News Release
Final Recommendation Report
Final Recommendation Report plus first portion of Appendices (File
size 5 MB)
Final
Recommendation Appendices - Part II (maps)
Frequently
Asked Questions
Capacity
Management: Superintendent's Final Recommendations
on Building Closure and Program Relocation - List of
Appendices
| Appendix
A: |
Cost/Benefits -
General Fund and Capital |
| Appendix
B: |
Data Analysis of
Buildings by Guideline |
| Appendix
C: |
Community Workshop
Feedback (Dec. 4 and Dec. 6) |
| Appendix
D: |
High School Planning
Capacity vs. Current Enrollment |
| Appendix
E: |
Rationale for Not
Closing a High School at this Time |
| Appendix
F: |
Transportation
Costs |
| Appendix
G: |
Reassignment of
Students:
Includes explanation of process, factors considered, narrative
information for each school or program, and a school-by-school
reference table of where students would be reassigned based on the
reference area in which they live |
| Appendix
H: |
Demographic and
Integration Effects |
| Appendix
I: |
Maps:
• Historical Building Closures
• Student Residence by Reference Area |
Building Closures and
Special Education Services
Please
click here for a message from Carla Santorno, Chief Academic
Officer, and Fred Row, Interim Executive Director Special
Education/Special Education Consultant.
Transcripts of Public
Hearings
Public
hearings were held on December 15 and December 16, 2008, at
buildings proposed for closure in the Superintendent’s
Preliminary Recommendations. The public hearing at the Lowell
building, originally scheduled for Dec. 18, 2008, was postponed to
January 20, 2009, due to inclement weather. In addition, a final
public hearing was held on January 22, 2009, at the John Stanford
Center.
Unedited transcipts of each public hearing will be posted as soon
as received by the court reporter. Final transcripts, edited for
grammar and spelling, will follow. Please click on the links from
the list below:
Community Meetings - Strategic Plan, Budget, Student Assignment
Plan
January 12, 13, and 24
A
series of community meetings were held on January 12, 13, and 24,
to provide updates on the progress of the Strategic Plan,
Excellence for All, and to discuss other key topics. Main
topics included an update on the implementation of Excellence
for All, budget planning for 2009-10, and further discussion
of the new Student Assignment Plan. Staff, families and community
members were invited and interpreters were available.
Read more.
Parent/Community Meeting - Cooper program
Tuesday, January 13, 2009, Cooper Library
Cooper
Elementary was named in the Superintendent’s final
recommendations for building closure and program moves. The
recommendation is as follows:
• Move the Pathfinder program into the Cooper Building;
and
• Reassign Cooper students to the available seats in both West
Seattle North and West Seattle South.
Parents, family and staff of Cooper Elementary attended a community
meeting on January 13 where Educational Director Patrick Johnson
and Board member Steve Sundquist were also present. The meeting was
to:
• Review the details of the superintendent’s
recommendation as it pertains to Cooper; and
• Provide a forum to submit feedback to the School
Board.
Public Hearing - Lowell Building - December 18, 2008
Lowell hearing rescheduled to January
20, 2009
School
Board Policy H01.00 sets forth that public hearings be held for all
buildings proposed for closure in the Superintendent's Preliminary
Recommendations. Individuals who were on the public testimony list
for the original hearing of Dec. 18 (rescheduled due to inclement
weather) had first priority to testify. Individuals on the original
list were contacted by phone and/or e-mail. Others signed up to
testify on a space-available basis. Sign-ups were accepted until
NOON on the day of the hearing. After that time, sign-ups were
accommodated on a first-come, first-served basis at the building
site if space was still available. For more information, e-mail hearing@seattleschools.org
or call (206) 252-0042.
Transcripts
School Board Meeting December 17, 2009
At the
December 17 School Board meeting Superintendent Goodloe-Johnson
provided an update on capacity management. Information related to
high schools, program design teams, Special Education and
Functional Capacity is included in her presentation. An update on
budget planning for 2009-10 is also included at the beginning of
the
presentation.
School Board Workshop
- December 9, 2008
Updates
On December
9, 2008, Superintendent Maria L. Goodloe-Johnson, Ph.D., presented
some additional options to consider related to capacity management
and building closure. These options were informed by feedback from
the School Board, teachers, staff, families, and community members
who participated in community workshops, testified at Board
meetings, and provided online feedback. Click on the links to view
the Superintendent's
full presentation and
summary.
Community Workshops -
December 4 and December 6, 2008
Summary of Community Comments
More than 250
community members attended the community workshops of December 4
and December 6. Following a presentation, attendees worked in
groups to discuss the preliminary recommendations. The groups then
reported out to the entire audience the highlights of their
discussions. Detailed notes were provided to District staff, and
are being considered as community input is reviewed. Click on the
links for a summary of the feedbacks from
December 4 and the
December 6 meetings.
School Board Meeting -
December 3, 2008
Updates
On December 3,
Superintendent Maria L. Goodloe-Johnson, Ph.D. presented updated
analysis and information related to capacity management to the
School Board. Her
presentation, which includes additional options for potential
final recommendations, also provided data on capacity and
enrollment by cluster, and transportation costs for all-city draw
schools. A
summary of the options for potential final recommendations is
posted on this Web site.
A series of school-based meetings, arranged by principals, was
announced. The School Board also held an additional work session on
Tuesday, December 9.
School
Board Workshop November 25, 2008
Preliminary Recommendation Presented
On
November 25, Superintendent Maria L. Goodloe-Johnson presented her
preliminary recommendation on school building closure and program
relocations. The recommendation, proposed to take effect for the
2009-10 school year, includes: six buildings to be closed, and an
additional building to be closed temporarily and may be reopened
depending on enrollment demand; nine programs to relocate from one
building to another; one new program (a new elementary school in
Northeast Seattle) to be created and one existing K-5 (Thornton
Creek) to expand to a K-8; and five programs will be discontinued
and students reassigned to other schools beginning in fall
2009.
Review and community
input took place during the next two months and concluded with a
School Board vote on January 29, 2009. Families, staff and
community members commented on the recommendations. Opportunities
for public comment and engagement were outlined in the
Preliminary Recommendation Summary.
School
Board Meeting November 12, 2008
Guidelines and Timeline -
Superintendent Goodloe-Johnson announced the
guidelines that will be used and foundational questions posed
when developing a recommendation on balancing capacity. The
guidelines include building condition, lot size, cost per pupil,
proximity and academic performance. The Superintendent also
affirmed the timeline
for the building closure process. Preliminary recommendations will
be made on November 25, and a final School Board vote is scheduled
for January 29. For additional information, view the
News Release on this topic.
North
Seattle/Queen Anne Magnolia - A projected short-term
(2009/10 and 2010/11) shortage of elementary capacity in the
North/Northwest/Northeast and Queen Anne/Magnolia clusters has been
addressed through a series of actions adopted by the School Board
on November 12. These include facilities modifications and student
assignment amendments. Additional information is available on the
Capacity
Management Phase I Web site.
School Board Meeting
October 29, 2008
On
October 29 the School Board unanimously voted to adopt
a resolution directing the Superintendent to evaluate balancing
the geographic capacity needs across the district.
For
additional information, view this
News Release.
Last
Updated:
Monday, March 2, 2009 12:20 PM
