SAP - Middle Schools
Open thread.
Tuesday Open Thread
The speaker list is up for the Board meeting tomorrow; not as packed as I thought with just four people on the waitlist. The majority of the speakers are speaking on high school boundaries (with several wanting to talk about Ballard High). There are only three of us speaking about the Green Dot resolution asking the City to not grant the zoning departures that Green Dot has requested. It's me, long-time watchdog, Chris Jackins, and the head of the Washington State Charter Schools Association, Patrick D'Amelio. (I knew Mr. D'Amelio when he headed the Alliance for Education and Big Brothers and Big Sisters; he's a stand-up guy.)
Comments
Thanks!
Whitman boundaries are SPS boundary to the north, Puget Sound to the west, Eastern boundary is a bit hard to describe...I5 down to 80th, then it heads west along 80th, angles west toward the top of green lake and straight west along 70th until 15th, then drops south to ship canal, southern boundary is ship canal. Feeder schools are Broadview Thompson, Northgate, Viewlands, North Beach, Loyal Heights, Whittier, Greenwood, Daniel Bagley, and Adams.
Hope that helps...
Good luck!
The Eckstein area's southern border is way down at 60th by Green Lake and drops under Ravenna Park to 55th. There are NINE elementary schools - some of them quite big - in the feeder pattern for Eckstein.
Whitman and Washington also have nine. Mercer, Aki Kurose, and Denny have six. Hamilton, in contrast, has only five feeder elementaries. Madison has four. McClure has only four also, but one of them is a K-8, so really only three.
Eckstein; The Eckstein boundary used to go in a concentric circle around the school. Many families from Greenlake, Greenwood, Wallingford, U district, Phinney, and north Laurelhurst all used to get in. All of those areas are now in the Hamilton and Whitman attendance areas, so that makes some space for the Eckstein boundary to move farther north.
However, I think Charlie is right. Previously families in the North part of the NE cluster were assigned to Hamilton. All those students will now be assigned to Eckstein. Further, many, and I do mean many, families went private or to Shoreline. They will ALL be coming back now that they can get into Eckstein. I'm not confident that staff figured that into the numbers.
I think we will see the portables currently at Hale moved to Eckstein (which already has many portables) for a year, maybe two, and then the Eckstein boundaries will have to shrink.
In drawing the lines proposed today, district staff members took into account how many students live nearby, safe walking routes, and a number of other factors. They also designed the plan so that no changes would be needed until 2015 at the earliest.
I also wouldn't be surprised if at least one or two of the three southernmost elementaries in the Eckstein attendance area find themselves in the Hamilton attendance area before the boundaries are finalized.
Renee, don't let them hear you in Laurelhurst. I'm sure they are not happy.
As it is, I don't see how Roosevelt will be anything other than severely overfull, particularly after a couple of years of families who are moving planning their moves to take advantage of guaranteed assignment.
And we'll be even happier to be at Hamilton if (when?) the parking lot at Eckstein is saturated with portables and we're in a brand new building with a manageable population.
I agree that the writing is on the wall regarding the switchover of Jane Addams to a comprehensive middle school. Either that, or Bryant is coming to Hamilton, too.
I concur that eckstein area seems way, way too big. I was shocked!
if JA to be re-purposed, why not now? Superintendent saying 'demographic data does not support another comprehensive MS"...
what gives?
I have to say that I really really like the Eckstein boundary. It is far more inclusive and more equitable than the old system. I am hearing from many far north families who feel the same.
As I predicted there are some big changes in demographics in the north.
Eckstein's demographic change seems like a manageable and reasonable one, however Hamilton's demographic change is tremendous. From 58% FRE to 12%! They added APP, plus some affluent neighborhoods like Laurelhurst, Windermere, and south Bryant to their draw, and at the same time cut out south end transportation.
Wow.