Private Public Meeting
Update: KOMO had it wrong. The presentation is only being done by the Downtown Seattle Association. It is not presenting with the district and the event has nothing to do with the district. It's a presentation for the neighborhood group, Uptown Alliance.
There will be a public meeting tomorrow evening at which Seattle Public Schools will present, jointly with the Downtown Seattle Association, a study showing the need for a downtown elementary school. The District has made no announcement of this meeting, but KOMO News reported it.
There will be a public meeting tomorrow evening at which Seattle Public Schools will present, jointly with the Downtown Seattle Association, a study showing the need for a downtown elementary school. The District has made no announcement of this meeting, but KOMO News reported it.
Here's the entire story by KOMO News Communities Reporter Michael Harthorne:
Facing overcrowding and growing numbers of children living downtown, Seattle is considering building anew elementary school in north downtown.Let's remember that the District, using their own process and their own numbers, estimated the need for additional elementary seats in the McClure Service Area for the next seven years to be 70. They already planned, in BEX IV, to add 200 seats to Queen Anne Elementary, which would more than satisfy the expected demand.
At Thursday’s Uptown Alliance meeting, the Downtown Seattle Association and Seattle Public Schools will present a study outlining the need for a new school in the area.
For anyone uninterested in schools, there will also be a round robin to talk about any other current issues facing the neighborhood.
The meeting takes place from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. July 12 at the Uptown Metropolitan Market. Everyone is welcome.
Now, all of a sudden, they are suggesting that maybe they got those numbers wrong and that actually, that part of town needs another 800 more elementary seats than they originally thought. Don't question their estimates anywhere else in town however, they have perfect confidence in their estimates everywhere else. Miraculously, however, no additional middle school or high school capacity is needed for downtown students. Weird, huh?
Then there is the process that was used to accept a new program proposal. What exactly is that process? There isn't one. That way they don't have to be fair. They can send some proposals directly into the recycling without reading them and they can promote others directly to BEX IV planning. See how liberating it is when you don't have to reveal your process or make it fair?
Comments
Developers want the downtown school? Donate the land and construction.
PS: Lowell has PLENTY of room. It is a 5 minute bus ride from South Lake Union. Bunch of crap that there is an overwhelming, must-happen-NOW need to locate something smack in the middle of VulcanLand.
DistrictWatcher
EdVoter
This is a telling tidbit. Can you imagine holding a meeting in NE and writing "for those uninterested in schools . . . ."?
As petty as it seems (and I'm trying to resist this urge), I want so badly to send them a message; to show them with the only power I have- my vote- how angry and bitter and frustrated I am. The arrogance, duplicity, lack of accountability and terrible judgement repeatedly demonstrated by district staff (and the former superintendent)is just staggering.
This downtown school situation is just ANOTHER example (e.g. numbers magically vacillate between 70 and 800, depending on the way the wind is blowing and who's blowing it- what??). All of this comes at a time when they should be on their very BEST behavior, with a new superintendent coming in, AND voters watching them very carefully as they consider whether to vote for BEX IV.
The district staff has gotten so far out of control with their own culture of lawlessness and impunity that they don't even realize how objectionable their actions are to the rest of us. Or maybe they just don't care.
-Frustrated
BTW, thanks so much to Melissa and Charlie for continuing to keep an eye on what the district is up to, even over the summer. Without your attention to all this, I would have been out of the loop on all of their latest antics. I truly appreciate all the work you do.
-Cynical
@VulcanInc
Seattle @MayorMcGinn touts @SouthLakeUnion as engine for job growth: Via @GeekWire
With a consultant's report that, surprise, supports their argument.
"The growth patterns indicate that the neighborhood is also becoming more“family friendly”. With a more diverse housing stock and the presence of amenities, the number of families in the area is growing. The presence of families increased from 13% to 20% of allhouseholds in the area during the 2000’s. The number of families with children nearly doubled (emphasis added) during that same time. (Source: US Census Tract 73 covering most of the SLU and a portion of the Denny/Broad area).
I love that. Nearly DOUBLED! What? From 1% to 2%? Where are the numbers for taxpayers to support $30M in another "amenity" for Vulcan Inc.?
Ha! For those uninterested in schools. Yeah, for the twenty-somethings, there will be a bar crawl and tour of other "amenities."
Something's gotta give and someone will lose. I have no idea who it will be but the district is fortunate to be at the beginning of this four years and not the end.
The men from the downtown association brought some numbers. I'll recap.
In 2011, there were 558 kids enrolled in SPS that lived in the downtown zone, up from 461 in 2007.
Knowing what the "downtown zone" is should be illuminating. The association defined this "neighborhood" as including: Belltown, the ID, Denny Triangle, Pioneer Square/SODO, the retail core, South Lake Union, Uptown and the Waterfront/West Edge. Despite the discussion of a need for a “neighborhood” school, we're talking about a nearly 5 mile corridor. Along the lake, in a similar (or smaller) footprint, there are at least 3 neighborhood schools serving K-5 students.
The neighborhood under discussion for a school site, South Lake Union, has 104 K-12 kids enrolled in SPS. The ID has 187. All other neighborhoods included have less than 100 K-12 kids enrolled in SPS. While the association believes that an increasing number of kids who live in the “neighborhood” (seriously, that’s a pretty large swathe of the city to be calling a “neighborhood”) are enrolling in SPS, even they still estimate the capture rate at what may be a city-wide low of around 25%.
In the entire area that is being discussed for a K-5 school in South Lake Union, there are a total of 272 kids. There are 100 "neighborood" K-5 students at John Hay and 30 at Bailey Gatzert.
There are over 100 empty seats at Lowell Elementary, just up the hill from the South Lake Union neighborhood. 200 seats will be added to Queen Anne elementary (at a cost of almost $15M). Gatzert is under considerable pressure, but the re-opening of TT Minor (gaining 329 seats) would cost about $5M, compared to the $32M that a new downtown school (for 500 seats) would require.
Amusingly, the downtown association objected to TT Minor, Lowell and Queen Anne on the basis that downtowners want a “neighborhood” school. I would love, love, love to hear how the ID and South Lake Union are part of the same neighborhood in ANYONE’S mind. Is it a bummer when you can’t walk to your local school? Yes, a little bit. But the reason there are yellow busses near almost every elementary school is because at almost every single neighborhood school in the district, there are kids who live outside the walk zone. Wanting to have a conveniently located neighborhood school is a wholly inadequate reason to spend $32M.
This BEX is about triaging urgent issues of overcrowding and building decay, not wants. It would be great if SPS was currently in a position to plan for ideal circumstances and long-term needs, but for many reasons – some due to long-time mismanagement – SPS is not in a position to do that kind of planning. This BEX ought to be entirely about need – the need to alleviate severe overcrowding, and the need to make buildings safe. A downtown school will address neither issue. I said as much in the meeting.
The response of one of the members of the downtown association?
“It depends what you mean by ‘need.’”
( ironically, with the redistributing earlier this year, someone living on my street would be sending their kids to another neighborhood, which requires a bus ride)
I agree that good schools are desirable for a healthy community, including easy access to them.
Seattle has fewer students attending public schools than comparable cities, except San Francisco.
Putting a school in SLU that developers can tout, isn't going to change that.
If you can't support the schools you have, why would you want to increase that responsibility?
Why are they "anticipating" need,of people who arent present, when they don't listen to residents expressing actual need?
And add me to the list of those who won't vote BEX if that Piece of Porkbarrel Politics makes the list.
-Skeptical-
I had noted the data in the census tracts cited in previous DSA "studies". In all seriousness, a "walk zone" in this "neighborhood" would be about two blocks. There would have to be crossing guards at every intersection. What parent would put their K-5 kid on a city bus or let them walk alone downtown? What parent would pull their car out of the secure garage to drive six blocks to school? Really? Really?!
1. "Downtown" is not a single neighborhood; it is several neighborhoods.
2. There aren't enough school-age children in any of the various neighborhoods that form downtown to merit the creation of a school.
3. There is sufficient space available in nearby schools to meet the demand.
4. Bailey-Gatzert, Hay, and Lowell are as close to the students' homes as any downtown school would be.
5. A downtown school would have almost no walk zone - these kids are on the bus even with a new school.
6. We can re-open T T Minor for the same impact and significantly lower cost than creating a new school downtown.
Nevermind.