BEX/BTA Capital Programs Oversight Committee meetings for 2024
Update:
I forgot to put in what I hadn't heard about the rebuild for Rainier Beach High School. It will not be finished in 2025; problems have pushed that date out to 2026. If they are working a whole other year on the project, I would expect costs to go higher and higher.
end of update
A public education advocate friend had told me that the minutes from all of BEX/BTA Capital Programs Oversight Committee meetings for 2024 were not available. Today I checked and happily, they are now there.
Committee meetings are held on the second Friday of the month from 8:30 am-10:30 am and their next meeting is November 8th at JSCEE. Members of the public may attend but not participate in the meeting.
Also happily, these are not the sadly underwritten minutes of the Board meetings. I miss actual detail in public minutes. I will say that there are places here where the words are few and that's usually like this: "The committee and staff discussed the challenges faced in each project and ways to avoid those problems on future projects." And, unfortunately, I see in the Feb. 2024 minutes that "the committee discussed the appropriate level of granularity for meeting minutes.
I do want to state (again and again) that past levies are NOT finished. The district still has funds from BEX IV and III as well as BTA funds. That's usually where they pay out overage costs.
I dove in and made some interesting findings. I'll just put up some items I found that I either said "hmmm" or "okay, sure."
- One item to know about is that SPS has had a commitment to using geothermal well installations for heating at new schools. The December 2023 minutes mention Alki, Kimball, James Baldwin, John Rogers and Viewlands Elementary schools, Mercer Middle School and Rainier Beach High School. (Mercer and RBHS may also be using solar energy; the district has submitted an application to receive federal rebates.)
- Turns out there is a fiberoptic line that the nearby Veterans Hospital uses that runs through Mercer Middle School. It needs to be moved and I guess that's quite the undertaking.
Mr. Gonzales updated the committee on conversations in progress with the Veterans Administration Hospital related to the unforeseen fiberoptic cable discovered on the Asa Mercer International Middle School site. He confirmed that the matter was not yet impacting the project schedule, however, a resolution needs to be forthcoming to address this matter.
In April 2024 we learn:
Mr. Gonzales reported on the ongoing matter of the Veterans Administration (VA) hospital’s fiberoptic line on the Mercer site. He conveyed that the VA, Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), Lumen, and Cornerstone Construction are cooperating rerouting the fiber line and locating it in the public right-of-way. He confirmed that the work is scheduled to be performed this summer.
But in September's minutes:
Mr. Best reported that the Veterans Administration Hospital was not able to proceed at the same pace at the project schedule. Therefore, the work to move the hospital’s fiberoptic cable line remained an active issue.
- January 2024's minutes are notable. Turns out when Lisa Rivera and Vivian Song were on the Board, they served as Board liaisons to the Committee. Apparently they requested (and got) a regularly monthly meeting with staff about BARs (Board Action Reports, the items on the Board meeting agendas) about BEX and BTA. It appears Song and Rivera sought clarity about these different items which is a credit to them.
Then, in Feb. 2024, Richard Best, head of Capital Projects, announced to the Committee that Rivera and Song had resigned from the Board.
Here's what was said:
Mr. Best reminded the committee that Board Action Reports (BARs) had been reviewed at meetings at the request of Director Song. He conveyed that, with her resignation, staff would prefer to end this practice. Committee members briefly discussed their role in the process. Ms. Donelson concluded that the committee’s input is relevant earlier in the projects and by the time BARs come for review, there is no opportunity for action.
- We also learn in Feb. 2024 that "BTA V Capital Levy Program has only used 9% of its funds." This is a levy passed in 2023 and a year later they had only used it minimally. Weird.
- In Feb. 2024 we learn "the significance of the provenance of the timber" used in buildings and that "the specifications require the source be a certified forest." Who knew?
- Also in the Feb 2024 minutes, there was a discussion of an early learning classroom addition at John Muir. This project is not big enough for there to be a separate construction manager. However, "scope" was added to the project but had to be removed because the district did not receive all of the state funds necessary to complete that scope.
- Boy did they get down in the weeds for the Alki project.
Ms. Grant shared the work of the Alki Elementary School project team who conducted research in this area. From that work, Ms. Grant learned about the significance of microaffirmations, such as including the school communities many languages in signage. She also described the challenge to be imaginative and move away from the John Muir Elementary School’s original logo and legacy toward a new image with students’ home languages.
- There was also this in the Feb. 2024 minutes:
Mr. Best reported that all the BEX V projects were addressing exclusionary practices and seeking ways to incorporate quiet spaces, in classrooms, to support students learning to self-regulate and remain in the classroom. He acknowledged that exclusionary practices are disproportionally applied to Black males and that it was an issue of racial equity in the classroom. He praised Deborah Northern’s work keeping design teams mindful of this practice during project development. Ms. Grant noted that this practice starts in preschool when families are told not to bring their students to school.
I don't know what that last sentence means.
- In March 2024's minutes there is mention of "consultant fees for the Memorial Stadium project." I think that the district should clearly explain who is paying for what in this project. You've got the City, the district and the builder and how is this all working?
- Mr. Tatge inquired about the budget increase in the program. Mr. Best noted that the budget increase was due to multiple factors, including planned contingency funds from other BEX/BTA capital levy programs, increases in inflation rates, and unanticipated budget transfers. He confirmed that staff will probe the budget transfers for lessons learned. Ms. Donelson commented that inflation rates were historically absorbed by underspend available in older levy programs. She requested a report on the status of the funds in those programs. Mr. Best asked the committee members for their guidance concerning the escalation rate the district should utilize for the BEX VI capital levy program.
Mr. Best concluded the report to celebrate that the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) was significantly increasing funds available through the School Construction Assistance Program (SCAP) for the first time in 50 years.
- Also in the March 2024 minutes:
Ms. Asencio introduced Dr. Les Kendrick, a statistician and demographer, who is supporting SPS with enrollment data and demographic trends for identifying and planning the district’s future facility needs. Dr. Kendrick delivered a presentation to the committee outlining post-covid trends starting at the broader regional level, then narrowing focus to the district level. He described trends in population, housing, birth rates, and migration in and out of the district. He concluded his presentation with forecasts to inform district planning.Ms. Sadhwani asked about the relationship between lower enrollment and the development of the BEX VI capital levy program, in terms concerning the work the district would be performing on its buildings and future uses of those buildings. Mr. Best confirmed that the decrease in enrollment will affect the BEX VI capital levy program. He conveyed that analysis and discussions were in progress within the Well-Resourced School initiative to decide the future of its buildings and that information would be available mid-May 2024.
- In May's minutes we learn that the district is replacing 400 windows in Eckstein's landmarked building exterior during the summer of 2024 and summer of 2025.
- Also in May,
Mr. Cathcart highlighted that installing ground source heat pumps has implications for access to school playfields and parking while the projects are being implemented. He described the methods for timing projects by levy and noted that some projects will appear larger than originally anticipated to incorporate geothermal wells plus replacing the field plus budgeting for inflation. He commented on the complexity of addressing all the criteria, including energy use, emission, URM, etc. He reminded the committee that the School Board makes the final decision of what goes into a levy.
So the district has been putting in these geothermal wells for years and years. How could they have missed all this?
and
Mr. Griffin urged staff to consider the future use of SPS buildings, such as year-round occupancy and the need to cool buildings.
- September 2024
It was reported that the new James Baldwin Elementary School (formerly Northgate) was a finalist for the A4LE James D. MacConnell Award. I checked and the district did win this award.
It mentions two leads talking to the Committee:
They shared with the committee some of the ways the process explored and answered the question, “What does equity look like in a physical structure?”
- In those same minutes, where the Aki Kurose Middle School was in the design phase:
The team opened the presentation acknowledging the relationship between this project and the recently completed James Baldwin Elementary School in terms of purposefully constructing a building that would inspire students, support the school’s diverse population, and advance racial equity. The team recognized the contributions of Dr. Dedy Fauntleroy, highlighting the framework of the Black Space Manifesto, which she brought to the team.
Principal Caine Lowery shared legacy of the school’s namesake, Aki Kurose, and its influence in the design process.
They highlighted the role of district and school-specific policies and values such as Policy 0030, Aki Kurose’s Core 4, and the Black Space Manifesto. They noted the community’s call to slow the engagement timeline to grant more opportunities for participation from a broader set of stakeholders. The team conveyed that they utilized a variety of activities and events such as student meetings, community cafes, and the all-school barbecue to meet the community where it is.
I think this is all wonderful but does every school community with a rebuild get to "slow down the timeline for engagement" and have activities for the entire school community? If not, why not?
Don't know what the Aki Kurose Core 4 are (I didn't)?
Comments
If they've been having regulation issues? Although it would seem to more often be the case that parents are asked to pick up their kids early when this is the case......