New Seattle Schools Growth Boundaries Plan to Come Out Tomorrow
By the way, there is a new message on the SPS Growth Boundaries page (thanks to an APP reader for this tip):
"An updated recommended plan will be presented to the board on November 6. The proposal will be released with the Board agenda at 5 p.m. on November 1 and posted here by 7 p.m. (The information from the September 17 draft and the October 16 proposal shown below is now obsolete.")"
The Board will vote on it November 20th.
When that proposal is live tomorrow, we'll put it up.
Update: From SPS,
"An updated recommended plan will be presented to the board on November 6. The proposal will be released with the Board agenda at 5 p.m. on November 1 and posted here by 7 p.m. (The information from the September 17 draft and the October 16 proposal shown below is now obsolete.")"
The Board will vote on it November 20th.
When that proposal is live tomorrow, we'll put it up.
Update: From SPS,
The recommendations below go to the Board on November 6 for action on November 20. (The information from previous proposals is now obsolete.)
Two Types of Recommendations
- Long-range boundaries that will be phased in as construction is completed by 2020.
- Recommendations for specific components to implement next year.
Board Materials
Complete maps packet for the Board (includes more detailed attendance area maps, feeder patterns, and geozone maps)
Summaries of public input—on initial draft, and on October 16 proposal
Major Changes
- Jane Addams Middle School opens for grades 6-8. This will not be a “roll up” starting with 6th grade only; rather, rising grade 6-8 students will be assigned together as a cohort as middle school boundary changes are implemented. Jane Addams K-8 will be housed at John Marshall as an interim site for two years.
- Dearborn Park, McDonald, and John Stanford become option schools (international).
- A new attendance area is created for Fairmount Park Elementary in West Seattle. Fairmount Park opens for grades K-5 in the fall.
- Most elementary grade students are grandfathered if their attendance area is changing.
- North APP elementary (now at Lincoln) will stay at Lincoln until Wilson-Pacific Elementary opens in 2017. North APP elementary will be located at Wilson-Pacific Elementary as a free-standing APP school beginning in 2017.
- Two sites (co-located with attendance area students) have been designated for north APP middle school: Eckstein and Whitman. APP at Eckstein will begin this coming fall. When APP at both Eckstein and Whitman are in place, enrollment data will be reviewed to determine if Hamilton would continue as an APP site. Depending on the number of students to be served, Hamilton APP may be phased out in the future.
Eckstein and Whitman were chosen as APP sites because by far the largest numbers of APP students live closest to those schools. Note that Eckstein, currently very overcrowded, has its current enrollment reduced significantly with the opening of Jane Addams Middle School. These changes will also provide some relief to over-enrollment at Hamilton.
Feedback on these recommended changes may be sent toGrowthBoundaries@seattleschools.org. Please put your school or issue in the subject line.
Next Steps
The Seattle School Board will vote on the recommended boundaries at its meeting on November 20, 2013. See the updated planning Timeline.
Please note: Regardless of what is approved, boundary changes will be phased in over time. Many changes cannot be implemented until construction projects are complete. See above for changes recommended for 2014-15.
Comments
reader
http://www.seattleschools.org/modules/groups/homepagefiles/cms/1583136/File/Departmental%20Content/school%20board/13-14%20agendas/110613agenda/20131106_ActionReport_GrowthBoundaries.pdf
--JvA
Bam
The administration added this comment to the report:
"Several community-based meetings (included above) were held after the five large community meetings. These targeted meetings provided more direct opportunities for families that might not typically respond to e-mail and/or English language based opportunities for input."
Among these new "targeted meetings" listed is an October 8 Seattle Council PTSA meeting that included "Southeast School Representatives."
As soon as I saw that, I emailed Linnea Fichter (VP of the Seattle Council PTSA) to ask her who was at that meeting, as I was surprised I wasn't invited. And she replied that it was the meeting that I did attend -- it was the meeting that SHE SET UP HERSELF because the district had failed to do proper outreach to the SE communities of color!
And as for the opportunity that it provided to get input from non-English speakers -- one of the takeaways from that meeting was that we were UNABLE to get good representation there from minority communities on such short notice. Quote from the published wrap-up: "We are acutely aware that the coalition of parents giving input here were disproportionately white and middle class. We believe that the timing and outreach associated with this process have been inadequate for meaningful engagement and dialogue within our community. Any new proposals should be presented to the full SE community, with adequate outreach efforts, in multiple languages, and with enough time built into the process to allow for the fostering of true understanding and meaningful dialogue with our diverse community."
I can't believe the district is taking credit for a meeting that was organized by an outside party BECAUSE the district had done such a pathetic job at outreach. Unbelievable.
--JvA
The administration added this comment to the report:
"Several community-based meetings (included above) were held after the five large community meetings. These targeted meetings provided more direct opportunities for families that might not typically respond to e-mail and/or English language based opportunities for input."
Among these new "targeted meetings" listed is an October 8 Seattle Council PTSA meeting that included "Southeast School Representatives."
As soon as I saw that, I emailed Linnea Fichter (VP of the Seattle Council PTSA) to ask her who was at that meeting, as I was surprised I wasn't invited. And she replied that it was the meeting that I did attend -- it was the meeting that SHE SET UP HERSELF because the district had failed to do proper outreach to the SE communities of color!
And as for the opportunity that it provided to get input from non-English speakers -- one of the takeaways from that meeting was that we were UNABLE to get good representation there from minority communities on such short notice. Quote from the published wrap-up: "We are acutely aware that the coalition of parents giving input here were disproportionately white and middle class. We believe that the timing and outreach associated with this process have been inadequate for meaningful engagement and dialogue within our community. Any new proposals should be presented to the full SE community, with adequate outreach efforts, in multiple languages, and with enough time built into the process to allow for the fostering of true understanding and meaningful dialogue with our diverse community."
I can't believe the district is taking credit for a meeting that was organized by an outside party BECAUSE the district had done such a pathetic job at outreach. Unbelievable.
--JvA (midbeaconhill.blogspot.com)
Does this mean students currently at Eckstein but in the JA zone will be moved to Marshall next year to be part of the JAMS cohort as 7th and 8th graders?
The last things the students from the low-income housing at Magnuson need is to be uprooted and moved like this. Good luck JAMS staff! Get ready!
Bryant
Two sites (co-located with attendance area students) have been designated for north APP middle school: Eckstein and Whitman. APP at Eckstein will begin this coming fall. When APP at both Eckstein and Whitman are in place, enrollment data will be reviewed to determine if Hamilton would continue as an APP site. Depending on the number of students to be served, Hamilton APP may be phased out in the future.
Eckstein and Whitman were chosen as APP sites because by far the largest numbers of APP students live closest to those schools. Note that Eckstein, currently very overcrowded, has its current enrollment reduced significantly with the opening of Jane Addams Middle School. These changes will also provide some relief to over-enrollment at Hamilton."
APP mom
Your post makes no sense whatsoever.
According to what was posted (Nov 6th/aka Growth Boundaries v. 3.0), Jane Addams K-8 is to be relocated to John Marshall. JAMS is to be launched at the Jane Addams building (feeders: John Rogers, Olympic Hills, Sacajawea, Wedgwood, and Cedar Park). 7th and 8th graders living within the JAMS attendance area, but who are currently at Eckstein will be assigned to JAMS in the Jane Addams building (not at John Marshall).
The low-income kids at Magnuson are in the Sand Point attendance area, and stay at Eckstein, so they will not be uprooted.
- North-end Mom
- Centrally Located
What were they thinking?
Roomom
Surely it is not too much to expect that the district will show some intellectual consistency and respect in making a plan that affects hundreds of families today and thousands over time.
I wrote to the School Board to let them know the District is falsely claiming outreach to SE Seattle:
http://midbeaconhill.blogspot.com/2013/11/misrepresentation-or-error-about.html
Unreal.
How about APP @ Whitman? That is equally ridiculous.
APP mom
Bam
HIMSmom
--equity ha!
http://www.seattleschools.org/modules/groups/homepagefiles/cms/1583136/File/Departmental%20Content/school%20board/13-14%20agendas/110613agenda/20131106_GrowthBoundaries_AttachmentB_Revised11_6.pdf
Just a few examples:
BF Day = 912
Wedgewood: 740
Eckstein: 1321
Denny:1675
Aki Kurose: 1784
And, to echo another's question...Where are the high schools mentioned in the plan?
Eden
There are 912 students for whom BF day is the nearest attendance area elementary school - not 912 students assigned to BF Day. This map explains why students can not always attend the school closest to their home.
http://www.seattleschools.org/modules/groups/homepagefiles/cms/1583136/File/Departmental%20Content/school%20board/13-14%20agendas/110613agenda/20131106_ActionReport_InterCapMgmt.pdf
eg
In the north end, it looks like there was some effort to mix things up and increase diversity at schools.
The transition plan is all important. Any word on when those will come out.
-uncertain
Roomom
I don't think you can safely assume anything about high schools yet. I think Lincoln will replace Garfield for North End APP high school.
Roomom
I wouldn't assume anything about Lincoln. QA and Magnolia are going to need a high school and Ballard can't hold the growth going on in those two areas. High schools could be zoned by address, not middle school attendance. Assume nothing.
TS
Thanks, I get the point, and could try to parse the numbers for the elementary schools, but since options schools aren't included anyway, let's put a pin in that part...
But the middles schools?!?!
Just using a nice round number of 1000 for each Denny and Aki, and there are 1459 EXTRA kids between the two! Even splitting those kids 4 ways into the other 4 middle schools in the South and you'd need to add 364 to EACH of those schools.
Are Aki and Denny actually going to be built out to 1700 kid schools, or will all of the south end middle schools be around 1200 kids when the building are meant for 970 or so?
I don't understand how this math work to actually give seats to all these kids without way over crowded schools...
Please help me understand...
Eden
It looks like middle school APP is starting at 3 schools in 2014, but maybe shrinking to two. Very strange. Why not start at two and see if expansion is needed?
-uncertain
All of the schools on the maps are listed either as "AA" or "Option". So, the "AA" in front of Lincoln only indicates that it will be an assignment area high school (not an option school), and doesn't tell anything about what the assignment area will be.
I've seen others be very confused about this as well.
Green Lake Parent
The slides you're looking at show projected population in 2022. The middle school projections are:
For West Seattle, 2,500 students and 2,300 seats.
For Southeast Seattle, 2,600 students and 2,300 middle school seats.
For the Central Region, 1,600 students and 1,900 seats.
In total, if these numbers are correct, we'd only be short about 200 seats.
All of the JAMS and Eckstein APP students will move in 2014 - but th rest will stay at Hamilton.
There won't be any WP middle school students for the next two years. They will stil be Whitman and Hamilton students.
Wilson-Pacific middle school doesn't start until 2016-17 (at John Marshall). Olympic View currently feeds into Eckstein, but will eventually feed into Wilson-Pacific.
This means that kids living west of Aurora in the new Olympic View attendance area will be assigned to Eckstein for the next two years, instead of Whitman (their current assignment), then to Wilson-Pacific @ John Marshall for a year (2016-17), then to the new middle school building at Wilson-Pacific in 2017-18?
- North-end Mom
Lynn is accurately describing that the map shows the number f students closest to the school.
Eden is accurately describing the effect of this map. This map all by itself shows that even with all the new capacity we are effectively out of capacity both now and later.
Remember these maps are based on mid range projections and in the north end enrollment growth has been much higher than than the mid range.
This map also shows that address based middle Scholl makes much more sense than feeder patterns.
Two things you said:
"IF the numbers are right"
"ONLY short 200 seats."
Are the numbers right? Did you know that they don't have a demographer on staff right now?
on aggregate it is "ONLY" 200 seats, but 200 kids need seats, and WHERE those seats are matters.
Eden
I think the solution is to use Boren as a middle school and move K-5 STEM to Fairmount Park.