Agenda and Documents for Interim Plan Vote Thursday
Agenda.
The agenda includes Public Testimony. I made the list but so did three people speaking about Stevens. The directors had discussed how to make this as wide-ranging a group as possible but I'm thinking really did nothing to make that so.
I find the updates confusing. What I think I am reading is that staff wants no changes but mitigation efforts (some of which, as I predicted, they would likely be doing no matter what the vote).
They do have a caveat that if the staff recs are changed, an update will come by the end of the day today (Wednesday the 30th).
Fiscal Analysis. I find this a bit hard to read but they present Director Carr's amendment - to create JA Middle School next school year - in two forms. One is co-location until 2016 or co-locate one year and then JA K-8 moves out the next year to John Marshall.
Enrollment projections. Again, not a lot of help because we're not seeing the direct comparisons of what these head counts mean in various regions. Interestingly, many high schools are project to decrease slightly (40 or less).
For middle schools, there is a modest increase overall - from 8225 to 8352, a difference of 127 students. But where is that growth mostly? At Hamilton, up a whopping 98 students. I don't really get it (unless there are a lot of APP students). (Eckstein had been projected to be 50 fewer but it looks like it's only about 25.)
Other items of interest:
- K-5 STEM in West Seattle continues to grow at a good clip.
- Gatewood will be up over 500 students.
- Schmitz Park will be near 600.
- QA Elementary also continues a good clip and will be nearly 340.
- Bailey-Gatzert will go over 400.
- Bryant is projected to be over 600. (To note, View Ridge is nearly there already at 598.)
- JA K-8 is projected to be up 63 and nearly to 650 students.
- Olympic Hills? Up a whopping 55 students.
- Olympic View? It climbs up over the 500 student mark.
- Laurelhurst is projected to be down about 15 students (those boundaries need to be redrawn in that area).
- Very little growth in the NW except at Viewlands which will climb over 300.
- Ditto on the SE.
Low enrollment schools (per their building size) - Pinehurst (146) and Madrona (a newish K-8 building at 286 - not good)
The agenda includes Public Testimony. I made the list but so did three people speaking about Stevens. The directors had discussed how to make this as wide-ranging a group as possible but I'm thinking really did nothing to make that so.
I find the updates confusing. What I think I am reading is that staff wants no changes but mitigation efforts (some of which, as I predicted, they would likely be doing no matter what the vote).
They do have a caveat that if the staff recs are changed, an update will come by the end of the day today (Wednesday the 30th).
Fiscal Analysis. I find this a bit hard to read but they present Director Carr's amendment - to create JA Middle School next school year - in two forms. One is co-location until 2016 or co-locate one year and then JA K-8 moves out the next year to John Marshall.
Enrollment projections. Again, not a lot of help because we're not seeing the direct comparisons of what these head counts mean in various regions. Interestingly, many high schools are project to decrease slightly (40 or less).
For middle schools, there is a modest increase overall - from 8225 to 8352, a difference of 127 students. But where is that growth mostly? At Hamilton, up a whopping 98 students. I don't really get it (unless there are a lot of APP students). (Eckstein had been projected to be 50 fewer but it looks like it's only about 25.)
Other items of interest:
- K-5 STEM in West Seattle continues to grow at a good clip.
- Gatewood will be up over 500 students.
- Schmitz Park will be near 600.
- QA Elementary also continues a good clip and will be nearly 340.
- Bailey-Gatzert will go over 400.
- Bryant is projected to be over 600. (To note, View Ridge is nearly there already at 598.)
- JA K-8 is projected to be up 63 and nearly to 650 students.
- Olympic Hills? Up a whopping 55 students.
- Olympic View? It climbs up over the 500 student mark.
- Laurelhurst is projected to be down about 15 students (those boundaries need to be redrawn in that area).
- Very little growth in the NW except at Viewlands which will climb over 300.
- Ditto on the SE.
Low enrollment schools (per their building size) - Pinehurst (146) and Madrona (a newish K-8 building at 286 - not good)
Comments
NE parent of 2
Also, not sure about expanding Laurelhurst into Bryant exactly- the new TC school should absorb some of Bryant's students, right? I think we have to look at the whole map. There are so many kids in this neighborhood; some of the boundaries are definitely going to look weird, and maybe that does end up meaning people 2 blocks from Bryant go to Laurelhurst, but I think really they just are all going to need to get moved around.
NE parent of 2
From what I can see, the numbers do not buoy Eckstein parents' insistance that JA must move next year. Their population is not expected to increase. So, they made it through this year, they can do the same next year. It isn't optimal, but it is workable. And it won't cost additional transportation dollars to shuttle JA kids farther from home.
JA itself is slated for significant growth.
Next year's pressure from the south part of NE is coming from Hamilton, not Eckstein. Most of that pressure is coming from APP. So what to do? Since the district has punted the question for years now, doubt it will be solved this week, but from my point of view, the district's Advanced Learning leadership either needs to step up or step out. Meantime, APP will get to choose between a crowded school or a split program or a move. That is not parents' fault. That is the district's and the strong light of lackluster planning needs to be focused on the issue.
Sherry Carr's amendment needs to be voted down and the district needs to get busy yesterday planning for additional middle school capacity in 2013-14 as well as an answer to APP programming.
Capacity Wonk
For example, if I'm the parent of an APP-qualified kid at View Ridge, do I gamble and enroll at Hamilton, which appears likely to be very crowded and may lose half or all of its APP cohort the following year?
Or do I take what looks like a safer bet and choose Eckstein, which is supposed to experience a reduction in enrollment next year? If a lot of families make this choice, then Eckstein is just as crowded or more crowded than this year!
Ultimately, parents are being asked to make middle school decisions with incomplete information about what is going to happen to their child in 7th and 8th grade, so it seems very likely to me that the estimates are really only guesses. Past enrollment patterns probably don't matter at this point because families might behave differently when faced with chaos and uncertainty.
I hope the district releases numbers as soon as open enrollment ends this spring so everyone can see how this all shakes out.
(for historical purposes, I can reflect back on what happened at Lowell. I had to find my old post on the APP blog, but in 2010, they estimated 40 kids for 2nd grade and 58 for 3rd grade for 2011 and instead enrolled 75 and 83, respectively. Their estimate was under by 60 kids! Was that all just enrollment growth in general, or parents leaving overcapacity elementary schools? Who knows, but it give me pause when it comes to relying on enrollment estimates)
Older and wiser
No sorry, it does not.
Have not decided my BEX vote yet, but seeing the very bad planning in the northeast with money going to projects that won't begin to solve the problem and in some cases in West Seattle and Northeast Seattle will make the problems worse I am leaning 'no'.
DistrictWatcher
The fiscal handout? From what I can tell, it's the same one that was given out before the 1/23 meeting. I hope we get an updated one (I know that there were revisions being shared with the board.)
The updated Action order - I asked Pegi and she said that it is possible that there could still be changes until late this afternoon.
And, yes, the primary middle school capacity crunch for next year is Hamilton, not Eckstein - and the one enrollment figure that jumped higher than expected was the 6th grade APP enrollment projection into Hamilton.
The REAL capacity crunch that is even more intense is the elementary crunch in NNE Seattle, which will be exacerbated by the restriction of entering students into the JA K-8 program starting next year in order to accommodate a 2013 JAMS start-up, if Carr's amendment passes.
Give an extra year and give the most affected schools the time they requested to plan a solid launch, continue to help with NNE elementary capacity, potentially avoid a double move of a 600 student program that would cost a lot more (moving the program, transportation, speedy update of building), and give all affected communities the redrawn boundaries before open enrollment next year - information they need to make informed decisions.
Gaining all of the above is far more important than gaining the ~150 spots gained TOTAL between Eckstein and Hamilton.
~CedarPark resident
DistrictWatcher, yes, I hear Mr. Wong on KUOW. He did not have answers to some questions and yes, said BEX was on-time and on-budget.
That is very irritating. Be honest and be honest about what changes have happened in BEX that will make it better.
Instead, it's "we need the money." Not good enough.
You have to vote your conscience.
Just to know, the district can bring this back in a couple of months should it fail. It depends on whether you feel the district needs a message that has not/will not get to them any other way.
But it is painful to see capital mistakes and poor spending year after year.
Leaving APP 6th graders at Lincoln, in fall 2013 or beyond, does seem quite undesirable for many reasons, including the gloomy condition of the currently unused south wing and the fact that those students would then miss out on much that Hamilton offers.
But it does seem to me that using Lincoln in a limited way to relieve the pressure at Hamilton makes sense. I know there is a concern with the traveling back and forth, but it must be possible to problem solve that and have, perhaps, some 2-hour block classes at Lincoln. Maybe even keep it to 7th and 8th graders who have just one portion of their day at Lincoln and the rest at Hamilton, as they may be able to handle the transition better. I assume lunch and music and gym would still all need to take place at Hamilton.
-Hoping for creative solutions to make Hamilton work
Starting the JAMS roll-up next year will impact elementary enrollment at Jane Addams, and thus at Olympic Hills, Olympic View and John Rogers, which are all full and growing fast.
The rushed start of the new JAMS also won't do enough to help the Hamilton situation - that will still need to be dealt with by 2014 at the latest.
--NEDad
--NEDad
WV: oneskin
If the 6th grade academy was a bad idea, why isn't moving Hamilton's APP students over to Lincoln? Same downsides except that it's a narrower group of students who get singled out.
KP
I do not see how the school can manage a population increase to 1072 students (despite the principal's best intentions), and the risk that the projection may be underestimating enrollment compels a solution beyond just trying to squeeze everyone in.
Current HIMS Parent
Has there been any discussion of moving APP to McClure, where there is excess capacity?
We may do APP, but the instability makes it unlikely. One of the big draws is the quality of the instrumental music program. But if the whole school moves out in a year, or this July, that doesn't apply, as I am sure the teacher stays with HIMS. Our child can be placed in algebra with a good teacher at our neighborhood MS.
One consideration is preserving options for HS. If he's APP qualified and is in Spectrum in MS, can he move to the APP track in HS?
Considering APP
Reader
http://www.seattleschools.org/modules/groups/homepagefiles/cms/1583136/File/Departmental%20Content/school%20board/12-13%20agendas/013113agenda/20130131_Presentation_SpecialMeeting.pdf
and on page 6 it is listing Jane Addams K-8 and JAMS co-housing in the Jane Addams building for 2013-2014. Is this a late change in the recommendation from staff?
-StepJ
No, I don't think so.
Move The Stevens/ Lowell boundry a few blocks east and capture more kids for Lowell ( which could house 450 and has 200) and easily relive the over crowding at Stevens. All this would cost would be the cost of a new map. As opposed to a portable at Stevens which costs $200,000 + which Stevens does not want.
Yes. I think so.
Reader.
Unless the writing is on the wall for a permanent split, why move any portion of middle school APP anywhere right now? (not that there's any good place to go). If portables are not an option at Hamilton, one of the creative options on the table should be limited use of Lincoln.
-Hoping for creative solutions to make Hamilton work
If every 8th graders spent at leas their 2-period LA/SS block over at Lincoln, would that solve the problem at HIMS?
HIMSmom
Well, it's not fair to keep moving them around. It hurts the program, creates upheaval at whatever school they are at. Either give up the program or put them in a permanent location.
I believe the Wilson-Pacific location is for APP 1-5 but I would make sense to make the elementary school APP 1-5 and then feed those 5th graders into the middle school.
Fine by me if you want to move an entire section of Hamilton to Lincoln but it is unfair to single out any group.
-Parent of 5th grader who wants some positive growth, not just change to accommodate crisis
After reviewing 2013-14 enrollment data, which shows a potential increase in the number of APP students at Hamilton International Middle School, staff recommend designating the Jane Addams K-8 building as an attendance area middle school, with the first students assigned to Jane Addams Middle School beginning with the 2013-14 school year.
The updated proposed Board Action Report is posted online: http://www.seattleschools.org/modules/groups/homepagefiles/cms/1583136/File/Departmental%20Content/school%20board/12-13%20agendas/013113agenda/20130131_Action_Report_CapacityNSAP.pdf
The School Board will vote on the annual short term capacity management plan during a special meeting at 5 p.m. tomorrow. The plan, along with the new student assignment transition plan, will address Seattle Public School’s capacity needs for the 2013-14 school year.
Sign me,
If it's good enough for special education, then it's good enough for APP
I've seen this divide and conquer attitude for so long in SPS. Now we are sinking to APP vs SpecEd? Really? We already have NNE vs NE, Hamilton vs Eckstein, and... well the list is long. Let's come together and make sure EVERY student gets what they need and deserve.
- Need for togetherness
I really hoped other voices could wedge into the conversation, but as usual, it's who you know. Another broken promise to the communities who aren't affluent.
Disgusted and Done
-Checking the website
I said that the problems at Madrona were mostly the district's fault (that and the former principal who stubbornly stuck to a formula that did not work).
Again, Madrona will go the way of AAA if something doesn't happen. Ask AAA how that felt to watch the district allow your program to twist in the wind.
I'm sure good work is being done there and as someone who has advocated in the past for small, struggling communities, I do think about the words I use. But when you have large and newish building with a very small population, then something needs to change.
I agree - I'm thinking staff is reluctantly saying open JA middle school. I don't believe this sudden change of heart.
NNEr
Come on. Give the staff at least some credit. I'm certainly not a defender of everything the district does or the way things are done. But when I've gotten proactively involved in certain issues and met people face to face, and learned more about the complexity of the issues and the efforts they're making, it becomes a little harder to lump all district staff together and dismiss or castigate them all (maybe some, but not all). Believe me, my blood boils at times too, but I don't think it's fair to assume that every conclusion I disagree with was made by uncaring people disregarding data and only playing politics.
Give at least a little credit
-really, really sick of the name calling
All about middle schools
Why something that is totally happening in the Hamilton reference area is solved by hurting those in the NNE is beyond me (especially with excess capacity at McClure, Lincoln and John Marshall). This doesn't solve the Hamilton problem, which still needs to be solved either after one more year or later this spring.
~frustrated and feeling mislead
-rrsoatnc
I don't agree that this is harming NNE. It's starting the school we need, NOW.
-rrsoatnc
Confused by the logic
NW Family
No changes to APP, so I'm assuming no complaints from there??
Seems like a fair compromise.
-lots of fun
In that case, we expect someone's going to, at the last minute, propose keeping 6th grade APP kids at Lincon.
Confused by the Logic
Wouldn't make it better, but wouldn't make it worse.
~tired of this
Then remove the uncertainties by stop dumping on Jane Addams! Even through the uncertainties of the last 4 years this school has grown every year. But don't force people to go there before proper planning and notice. Support the school and you will find that more than enough middle school kids will CHOOSE to go there.
-lots of fun
Eckstein has 1298 students this year, projected to go down by 24 next year and be at 1274.
Maybe I've been exposed to too much Everyday Math lately, but it looks to me like adding Laurelhurst to Eckstein this fall would bring them to 1361 students, quite a bit more than they have this year.
Yes, some of those 87 might opt into APP and go to Hamilton. Anyone know historically how many kids that tends to be each year?
~tired
And NO Melissa - special education families do not get same choice as APP. They get 1 and only 1 seat. And no, it isn't at their neighborhood school either. So, there's no guaranteed school assignment for everybody. For APP - there's many, many choices. More, than anyone else. For special ed families there is no choice at all.
-sped family