BEX IV Community Meetings

From SPS:

Seattle Public Schools will host three community meetings on September 20, 24 and 27 to share information and ask for comments about building construction projects to be included in the Building Excellence IV (BEX IV) Capital Levy package.  Once approved by the School Board, the BEX IV Capital Levy resolution will be submitted to Seattle voters in February 2013.

The community meeting dates are:
Thursday, September 20, 6:30-8:00pm at Whitman Middle School
Monday, September 24, 6:30-8:00pm at Madison Middle School
Thursday, September 27, 6:30-8:00pm at McClure Middle School

For more information on BEX IV, please visit: www.bit.ly/SPSBEX

On this topic, Rep. Reuven Carlyle weighed in on it at his blog.  McClure Middle School is in his neighborhood and he feels that people don't attend it (despite the elementaries around it being full) and that's because of the building.  He could be partially right but most of us know that people will attend a high-performing school no matter the building (see APP).  

But for some odd reason, he goes off on this tangent about RBHS not being full and he complains about the investment of millions of dollars there over the last few years and that they are now implementing a new IB program.  He seems to know the IB program isn't up and running and yet seems to believe the school should be filling.  (It took time at Ingraham, fyi.)  He then says:

But sometimes the under-enrollment is not based on a policy or practice, but instead on what seems like benign systemic neglect of a particular school despite heroic efforts over the years of parents to make improvements. One such school is McClure Middle School, centrally located in the Queen Anne neighborhood.  

If any school can be said to have systemic neglect, it is RBHS.  Yes, they have gotten attention in the last couple of years but only after a decade or more of being left to twist in the wind.  
He then claims that the district's plan hasn't made the headlines of the neighborhood blogs or community newspapers.  He might want to read this blog because we have been discussing it for quite awhile.

He then (and I'll call it naively) says:

McClure is not slated to receive any funding in BEX IV, when I think we can all agree that the school facility—vintage 1960– needs massive investments, if not a total rebuild. Once again, plodding along through another huge levy the McClure community—now serving three major neighborhoods—is left without a strong intervention from the district. 

I have been told that the “bones”—the structure—of the building are solid, and that we need to wait at least until BEX V, in 2019, to even consider a rebuild. But the community was told that exact same thing in BEX II and BEX III, twelve and six years ago, respectively. 

He believes that all these QA and Magnolia parents go to public elementary schools, then scatter away from McClure and it's all because of the building.

This is why it's tough going sometimes with elected officials.  They really think that they know a lot just from their neighborhood.  Or what one district official tells them.  Or what might seem obvious to them.

But he puts out a lot here about RBHS and I'm not sure he's fully informed.  Why he points the finger at them when what he is writing about are capital dollars and the IB program is operating dollars is unclear. 

He puts out a lot here about why McClure deserves a new building without being informed about the huge number of old buildings the district has.  

Or the under-maintenance of most of our buildings.  

Or the cost overruns on several high schools that cause us to have fewer dollars for other buildings.  

Or the overdesign at some buildings that cause us to have fewer dollars for other buildings.  

RBHS?  It doesn't have a new building, either.  It, along with Ingraham and Chief Sealth, won't see any total rebuild like ALL the other comprehensives for a long time.  But I don't think he knows that either. 

From SCPTSA:

Two crucial levy renewals will be on the ballot this school year.  The first, an Operations Levy, funds approximately 30% of the District's operating budget.  Past operating levies partially paid for instructional programs; costs related to full-day kindergarten; a sixth period at high schools; student activities such as athletics, drama and music; bilingual and special education services; textbooks and classroom supplies; transportation and security.  The second, a Capital Levy (BEX IV), funds building and infrastructure projects.  It is expected that BEX IV will, in part, be used to address over capacity issues in the District by creating new or improved classroom space. 

Historically, many PTAs have endorsed the levies, provided a PTA donation to the campaign and school parents have actively volunteered to support passage of the levies. Schools First, the non-profit, volunteer coalition that campaigns for renewal of the levies, has speakers available to come to one of your meetings to share information about the levies and discuss the endorsement/donation process.  Please contact Kerry Cooley-Stroum, who will be on the Scholars at Garfield/PTA Academic Committee this year, at kcs@seanet.com for more information, and to schedule a brief presentation for your September board meeting.  More information is available at www.schoolsfirstseattle.org.