Capacity Meetings

This is news to me but thanks to North Seattle Mom for this update:

School Capacity Planning Meetings


Tuesday, October 4
6:30-8pm at Mercer Middle School Library, 1600 S. Columbian Way, Seattle 98108

Thursday, October 6
6:30-8pm at Madison Middle School Library, 3429 45th Ave. SW, Seattle, 98116

Tuesday, October 11
6:30-8pm at Hamilton International Middle School Library, 1610 N. 41st St., Seattle 98103

Meetings will include a presentation by SPS staff, and a question and answer period. Community comments and feedback will be collected, recorded and considered in the SPS capacity management planning process.

Not to be ungrateful but only three?  Hamilton covers the entire north end and central area?  I also note that the district stays true to its manner of cramming these kinds of meetings within one week.  (And sadly, the one at Hamilton is the same night as the School Board candidate debates at Olympic View.) 

Comments

SP said…
Why are these type of announcements posted as a News Release, hidden behind a series of 4 links you have to open, and not posted right on the SPS homepage under District News & Announcements?

There is also another News Release 9/21 "Community Volunteers sought for Facilities and Capacity Management Advisory Committee."

From the News Release today about the upcoming meetings,
"With enrollment trends indicating growth within Seattle Public Schools boundaries, the District implemented a task force of community volunteers and SPS staff, who collected and studied all available data relative to demographics and enrollment. Their work resulted in the decision to create and implement an Intermediate Term Capacity Management plan to cover the period of 2012-2016, prior to building schools as part of the Building Excellence IV (BEX IV) program."

Who was on this committee and when did they meet? If "community volunteers" were on this committee, were there any reports to the community? It would be nice to release this information before the first Oct. 4th meeting is held.
SP, the committee has Charlie and Kellie LaRue on it so I feel better. They have been putting out reports and can probably tell you more.

I agree; this seems a little rushed. I do have an update that I will post soon.
Charlie Mas said…
Yes, Kellie and I were on the Demographics Task Force, but the report from the Task Force was written by district staff and did not reflect much, if any, of the input from the volunteers.

It was a sham. We scrambled to fix it in the couple hours we had after seeing the draft of the report and the close of the report, but the outcome of that effort was not legitimate.
Anonymous said…
I would like to know why the district planned a capacity meeting in West Seattle on the same night that two overcrowded elementary schools are having their curriculum night/open house events? Lafayette has 560 students and Schmitz Park 450 students. That's a lot of parents who will be unable to attend the capicity meeting.
-frustrated WS parent
SP said…
frustrated ws parent-
It is also Roxhill's Open House night.

You should contact the lead listed in the news release:
For further information, please contact Tom Redman, Capital Communications.
Email: tlredman@seattleschools.org. Phone: 206-252-0655.

...as well as the SW Ex Director, Aurora Lora about this.
Fiona @ SP said…
I served on the committee and I agree the report was a little too glossy, and did not include all the details that members asked for.

I will say that those involved learned alot about the process used for projections, that we had input with the facilities consultants (who were listening, and that the idea of the Cap. Advisory Comm. came out of the work we did. The work that was done was about process, and for the district, it was a chance to relearn how to talk to parents and advocates about planning not just reaction.

The report was offered to the board the week after school was out. I can not find it on the sps website, but it was imbeded in a capacity workshop presentation on June 28. One of my personal recommendations during the task force meetings was to create a page on the website for capacity and collection of these documents. But of course that has not happened yet.

Perhaps the district will have a copy of the task force recommendations at the their meetings. I do not think that the meetings will provide many answers, because they don't have any yet, so if I'm a little late due to Open House at my school I'm okay with that.
SP said…
Thanks, Charlie & Fiona-
I found the reports you mentioned on the School Board page, under Archives link- then at bottom go to 2010-11 Agendas, which includes both Board meetings as well as work sessions.

June 29, 2011 Capacity Board Worksession

(hope the magic link works!)
Includes Intermediate Term Capital Planning Report, Demographic Task Force Committee Recommendations and a PowerPoint.

Gee...wouldn't you think that the district would include the link to this in their News Release and especially in their announcements to the community about the upcoming capacity meetings?
Anonymous said…
Has there been any specific guidance on where border adjustments might take place for neighborhood school assignments? I live right on the border of Bryant/Green Lake neighborhood and am curious if our school assignment might change from one to the other. Thanks for any information on this
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