tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post5454051504097846360..comments2024-03-27T20:01:11.889-07:00Comments on Seattle Schools Community Forum: Open Thread for Lowell/APPMelissa Westbrookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-58991137534776927882008-12-16T00:34:00.000-08:002008-12-16T00:34:00.000-08:00with about 140 general ed students in K-5 at T.M. ...with about 140 general ed students in K-5 at T.M. and about 240 APP students in 1-5--I calculate that the class size will hover around 23.<BR/><BR/>What will be done for grades which contain a smaller than average number of students?<BR/><BR/>Also it looks like there will just be one class of general ed at each grade level--so those kids would all be in the same group of peers year after year.bell.curvehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18136389761022989114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-50341854584667050302008-12-05T08:34:00.000-08:002008-12-05T08:34:00.000-08:00To Lowell bloggin' mom,Please refer to pages 33-34...To Lowell bloggin' mom,<BR/><BR/>Please refer to pages 33-34 of the capacity management preliminary proposal document. The District evaluated both Thornton Creek at Jane Addams as well as the proposed Decatur School as possible sites for APP-north and rejected both sites, for the following reason:<BR/><BR/>"Adding 250 APP students now being served in the Central cluster into an already overcrowded North cluster is directly contrary to the District's effort to provide relief for immediate, pressing capacity challenges in north Seattle."<BR/><BR/>The capacity challenges in the NE are very real, as demonstrated by the Superintendent's presentation shown Wednesday evening.<BR/><BR/>The surrounding schools are severely overcrowded. The Decatur School MUST be used for capacity relief.<BR/><BR/>Decatur is NOT a suitable site for APP-north.North End Momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15781046556751463879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-58704946138879642822008-12-05T05:13:00.000-08:002008-12-05T05:13:00.000-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.North End Momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15781046556751463879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-84998145840917580812008-12-04T21:47:00.000-08:002008-12-04T21:47:00.000-08:00My daughter is a current APP 4th grader at Lowell ...My daughter is a current APP 4th grader at Lowell from the NE cluster and I find the concept of the move to be disturbing. My daughter already spends 2 hours per day on the bus. Is it really fair to ask her to spend more time (3-4 hours per day) on the bus? My fantasy (which is unrealistic) would be that if the Lowell APP program must split and relocate, that the north end APP students would be housed at Decatur/Thornton Creek.<BR/><BR/>Assuming that doesn't happen, what are we supposed to do? Is it really in my daughter's best interest to have her spend a third of her waking hours on the bus? Is it in her best interest to send her to a neighborhood school when it is unlikely that she would be able to enroll in Spectrum due to over-enrollment by kids already in the cluster? Does it make sense for a 4th grader to do 6th grade math and that same student to do 5th grade math as a 5th grader?<BR/><BR/>As for the split, I don't think that it is as bad of an idea as some other parents seem to think, especially for the higher grades. If standards can't be maintained with 2-3 classes of 5th graders at each of two locations, then there is something wrong with the program. Co-housing two programs with students from two different socioeconomic/achievement groups may be more of an issue. Although it would be good for the Lowell kids to experience more socioeconomic diversity, it would be much better for them to be exposed to socioeconomic diversity in a setting other than by combining high achieving/generally high socioeconomic status students with generally low achieving/generally low socioeconomic status students. The one good thing about it would be that it might increase awareness of the APP program among parents of high achieving students in these low SES schools.<BR/><BR/>Regarding the admission standards for APP, I think that they could be raised and it would benefit the program. Right now, there is a huge mix of student abilities because there is a big difference between somebody who scores in the top 2-3% of the population and somebody who scores in the top 0.001% or 0.0001% of the population. From what I have seen at Lowell, there is little differentiation of the curriculum to address these differences.<BR/><BR/>As for the special ed students, they are really getting the short end of the deal because it seems like the district is not doing much to deal with their needs.Lowell bloggin' momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03250113884224349826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-84119080904628073342008-12-02T14:04:00.000-08:002008-12-02T14:04:00.000-08:00Charlie...as I just wrote on Harium's blog, your i...Charlie...as I just wrote on Harium's blog, your idea about making Thurgood Marshall into a self-selecting spectrum program while remaining a neighborhood school w/ no reference area is really innovative.<BR/><BR/>I don't know the Hawthorne area enough to comment, but for the Central cluster, there would suddenly be a way to show how the closures and program movement bettered the offerings of the cluster as a whole. <BR/><BR/>Thurgood Marshall becomes a significantly more rigorously academic school. Leschi is getting the popular Montessori program. Madrona and Leschi and Bailey Gatzert could boost their enrollment by folks who aren't drawn to the new format of Thurgood Marshall. More kids would mean more funding and more resources at those schools. <BR/><BR/>Suddenly the north/south program quality split of the central cluster becomes less apparent (and less disturbing). <BR/><BR/>What do the Lowell parents of students with disabilities think of this idea? How about the families presently at TM? What are the communities who would NOT appreciate this plan? What are the downsides from the district perspective? Additional input would sharpen this proposal.Central Momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05411595538958030193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-25799114458278777002008-12-02T13:51:00.000-08:002008-12-02T13:51:00.000-08:00Oh yes, just like the New School. No reference are...Oh yes, just like the New School. No reference area but with all of the other tie-breakers, including distance. And it would be part of the Cluster for transportation policy purposes. It would NOT be an alternative school, just as The New School is not an alternative school.<BR/><BR/>I'm liking this idea more and more. If it goes over well at Thurgood Marshall and Hawthorne, it can be duplicated in West Seattle-South where they have some elasticity in the capacity and no designated Spectrum school.Charlie Mashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17173903762962067277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-11875692089972247842008-12-02T09:21:00.000-08:002008-12-02T09:21:00.000-08:00Love it as well! Great for the kids, great alignm...Love it as well! Great for the kids, great alignment between the teaching staff of the APP and gen-ed populations (if you're thinking of this specifically as being post-APP split). Would still be great even if APP doesn't wind up in the buildings.<BR/><BR/>However, even if it doesn't have a reference area,<BR/>it would be good to have a distance tiebreaker, to give priority to south/central kids who want the rigor, and to reduce busing costs.jdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10911494017515642668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-69713651425965266072008-12-02T08:02:00.000-08:002008-12-02T08:02:00.000-08:00Oh my gosh Charlie, that's absolutely brilliant! I...Oh my gosh Charlie, that's absolutely brilliant! I love that idea. There is certainly no shortage of reference area seats in the central and south Seattle areas, so you're absolutely right, these schools could be self selected Spectrum sights!! I love it.anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03716725891562757052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-49130465761818741582008-12-02T00:21:00.000-08:002008-12-02T00:21:00.000-08:00What if Thurgood Marshall and Hawthorne had no ref...What if Thurgood Marshall and Hawthorne had no reference area at all? What if they were like The New School - a neighborhood school without a reference area? And what if people were told that the classes at these schools were going to all be rigorous and accelerated so that to enroll at the schools would be like to self-select for Spectrum.<BR/><BR/>I have long been a proponent of self-selected enrollment in Spectrum, and these schools seem to me like a wonderful opportunity for the District to experiment with that. No tests for qualification, no barriers to entry. No cultural bias, no racism or classism. If you think you're up to the challenge, then enroll.<BR/><BR/>I would really love to see that.Charlie Mashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17173903762962067277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-80451052352255690262008-12-01T16:31:00.000-08:002008-12-01T16:31:00.000-08:00In various blog postings, I've seen people propose...In various blog postings, I've seen people propose a lot of different alternatives for APP placement that would make more sense -- if we are looking at what's reasonable for APP.<BR/><BR/>However, it appears that the proposed moves were not really motivated by anything having to do with APP. It seems the likelier motivation was the political infeasability of closing any additional under-enrolled, poor performing south end schools. APP just happens to be conveniently "portable" for this purpose. <BR/><BR/>It seems probable that the move will not have any real benefit to the south end students involved, other than keeping their poor performing schools afloat in the near term. <BR/><BR/>If people are genuinely interested in preserving APP, instead of discussing this and that about how program could be structured and shuffled around, shouldn't we really be trying to work out a solution to the problem that motivated the Superintendent to propose the move -- i.e. finding an alternative for preserving Hawthorn's and Marshall's viability in a way that is politically feasible and doesn't involve moving APP?Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05304791271749485394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-65527942008955154032008-12-01T12:14:00.000-08:002008-12-01T12:14:00.000-08:00Just so things are perfectly clear:APP will contin...Just so things are perfectly clear:<BR/><BR/><B>APP will continue to be self-contained at Thurgood Marshall and Hawthorne.</B><BR/><BR/>Yes, the schools will have general education and special education students in them, just as Washington and Garfield do, just as Lowell has special education students, and just as every Spectrum school has general education and special education classes. But the APP classes at Thurgood Marshall and Hawthorne will consist of only APP students. There is no plan to change the academic model.<BR/><BR/>Also, it is important to note that these schools will have about 250 APP students and about 140 general education students. There is no telling how many of the general education students will be siblings of APP students, but it could be 60 or more. So you can be pretty confident that the culture of the school will be set by the APP community.Charlie Mashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17173903762962067277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-30808960999954486772008-12-01T10:40:00.000-08:002008-12-01T10:40:00.000-08:00I am saddened to think that these moves are purely...I am saddened to think that these moves are purely political yet the more I read, the more I agree.<BR/><BR/>I have a kindergartner at Bryant who is already performing above grade level and being asked to "do more" than her peers (if they write a word, she is asked to write a sentence, etc). I suppose this is "differentiated" learning. But neither she nor I are thrilled with how this makes her "different" than her peers. <BR/><BR/>I had high hopes of Lowell being a great fit for her. I loved the idea of all of the children being at the same level so no one would stand out as different. I hated being "different" than the rest of the kids when I was in school, so I am sensitive to this issue.<BR/><BR/>But, now that APP will no longer be self-contained and it will be only available in South Seattle, I no longer see it as a viable or attractive option. Personally, I don't like the idea of young kids spending so much time on a bus. It takes away time from other activities that they should be doing - whether it's sports, dance, or just playing in the backyard. That isn't meant as an insult to parents like agibean who choose to have their kids bussed long distances to Lowell right now. And I'm glad that their commutes may improve with the moves further south. But, for others of us, particularly in North Seattle, the distance to TM is indeed a deal-breaker. In addition, the fact that APP will no longer be self-contained also makes it less attractive. It sets up two cohorts at the school: the "smart" kids and the "regular" kids. What was attractive about APP at Lowell is that the kids weren't labeled; peers are basically all equal, so you can work to your potential without sticking out. <BR/><BR/>So, now that more and more kids just keep getting crammed into Bryant each year, my concerns about her education grow. Can they seamlessly teach my gifted daughter in a class with 30 other kids? I am becoming more convinced that we'll be exploring private school options in the near future, which wasn't something we wanted to do. We want to support SPS. But we aren't willing to sacrifice our child's education waiting for common-sense solutions from the district.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-86295460088468505202008-12-01T10:13:00.000-08:002008-12-01T10:13:00.000-08:00I wrote earlier: "The buses to Washington have bee...I wrote earlier: "The buses to Washington have been far more reliable and timely than the buses to Lowell."<BR/><BR/>Part of the reason for that is, of course, that the Washington buses are on the road earlier instead of right at rush hour. That makes quite a difference. <BR/><BR/>There is some work being done on making some of the Lowell bus routes more efficient (having groups of students gather at local schools and what not). In our case, my child would leave the house at the same time anyway, but some of the time would be walking instead of riding. <BR/><BR/>Helen Schinskehschinskehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10316478950862562594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-25690467014487855682008-11-29T12:52:00.000-08:002008-11-29T12:52:00.000-08:00I think MomAsks might be right on this one. I have...I think MomAsks might be right on this one. I have heard similar comments from the sup many times. Several of the recommendations don't make much sense in terms of capacity but they do make sense in terms of the sup and her agenda.katiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16390767697578867215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-9677859141923794512008-11-29T10:28:00.000-08:002008-11-29T10:28:00.000-08:00"So how did Lowell even pop up on their radar?"Las..."So how did Lowell even pop up on their radar?"<BR/><BR/>Last spring I went to one of Dr. G-J bus tour presentations and a parent asked about capacity at Lowell. She mentioned the APP audit and some of this its findings, specifically she mentioned racism within the program. She said, bluntly, that she would be addressing that issue. So I believe that splitting and moving APP is her way of addressing the issues found in the APP report.<BR/><BR/>Now, please don't blast me for this comment, I am only repeating what I heard Dr. G-J say last spring about the APP audit and think that this move may be in response to the audit, because closing Lowell does not really make much sense, especially since that have no plan for the special ed students yet.ParentofThreehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15853045587227159562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-24553283692881780522008-11-29T08:50:00.000-08:002008-11-29T08:50:00.000-08:00They probably want to sell Lowell. It would bring...They probably want to sell Lowell. It would bring in a great deal of money-it is not zoned the same as other schools, with worse building ratings, that they have chosen not to sell.cashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05132384917900683831noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-17959728019726304442008-11-28T22:54:00.000-08:002008-11-28T22:54:00.000-08:00After reading most of the big 12MB PDF file on the...After reading most of the big 12MB PDF file on the school website -- the preliminary report -- I am pessimistic about being able to change the course of the oncoming train. The report already addresses many of the concerns expressed here:<BR/> <BR/>--they didn't put "Lowell North" in a north end school because the north end is already crowded. <BR/><BR/>--they acknowledge that by sticking half of APP into Hawthorne and Thurgood Marshall, they'll be overcrowding those schools; they claim that if APP grows further, they'll just open more APP programs in more schools. (This reinforces my suspicion that the district may be watering down the APP concept.)<BR/><BR/>--they don't want to keep the APP kids together, though they could, because they want to have APP alongside general ed and special ed. <BR/><BR/>--finally, they seem to be hoping to reinforce Hawthorne and T.M. schools with the APP kids -- and with the APP parents. They say it explicitly on page 35 of the PDF: "the strong interest of APP students and parents in music and fine arts will likely extend those opportunities to everyone in Hawthorne and Thurgood Marshall, as will the tradition of an active, resource-enhancing PTA." <BR/><BR/>In other words, they expect that the influx of APP parents will improve the school for everybody. (The Chalkboard blog suggested that raising the WASL scores at these two schools might also be a consideration, but I don't know about that.) <BR/><BR/>This is an explicitly political plan, and it's gotten far away from the original idea of objective criteria and judgment. And I think this explains why the idea of a K-5 or K-8 Spectrum/APP school has never gone anywhere with the district.Danny Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07632244455766365141noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-49778929850094283672008-11-28T22:34:00.000-08:002008-11-28T22:34:00.000-08:00By all of the stated guidelines, there is no way t...By all of the stated guidelines, there is no way that Lowell should have been identified for closure. The program is wildly successful, both academically and for enrollment. The school is big, one of the biggest elementary schools in the district. Despite the building's condition, Lowell is strictly average in administrative costs per student. While the building condition is in the 50's, two schools, NOVA and the S.B.O.C. are getting moved into Meany, a building with a condition score in the 40's. Building condition by itself shouldn't be the criteria. The criteria should be expense. And when it comes to expense, Lowell isn't a problem.<BR/><BR/>So how did Lowell even pop up on their radar?<BR/><BR/>And why wasn't it viable for the District to move half of the kids out and move in general education program at Lowell? That way they could close either Thurgood Marshall or Leschi.<BR/><BR/>The District claims that they couldn't find a north-end school with space for the north-end elementary APP cohort. Hmmm. What about McDonald? What about John Marshall as part of a K-8? What about Pinehurst? What about Wilson-Pacific? What about Sand Point? What about Viewlands?Charlie Mashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17173903762962067277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-43194970705825045412008-11-28T18:04:00.000-08:002008-11-28T18:04:00.000-08:00In reading through the comments, and in continuing...In reading through the comments, and in continuing to think this over, I am really struck by the sense that this proposal was based on expediency rather than best practices.<BR/><BR/>Personally, I am not opposed to a split for APP--having two programs could be beneficial if they are in the right place. The north-end families deserve a north-end (or minimally one that is not further south) location. As a south-end parent, I'm happy to have a location closer to home, but it needs to be in the right environment.<BR/><BR/>I continue to struggle with the question of how placing APP programs at Marshall and Hawthorne is going to be mutually beneficial. I've seen some suggestions for an APP/Spectrum site in the north. In the south, why not have the general ed Hawthorne kids and the Muir Spectrum kids swap places (they are very close to each other) and then have the South/West Seattle APP kids together with the Muir Spectrum kids at Hawthorne? Is it to cynical to theorize that the district would never go for this because then we would be combining two schools (Muir & Hawthorne) where neither is making adequate yearly progress.<BR/><BR/>Given how this proposal has caused so many additional questions that remain unanswered, couldn't we please have one more year to evaluate this and find the best possible solution. Contrary to the way the building score was addressed at the meeting, our wonderful school is not falling down around our ears. One more year at Lowell can't possible save enough money for the district to risk making and hasty and potentially wrong decision for the APP program.<BR/><BR/>One last note on the building score rationale: it just defies explanation for me. According to the Appendix 3 of the proposal, 33 schools have a score below the "district standard of 80" as Dr. Goodloe-Johnson repeatedly stated at the School Board meeting. 28 of these are elementary schools (not including the Old Hay, which they suggest could be reopened in 2010). Bottom line, that should not be the deciding factor.<BR/><BR/>Thanks.Toscahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17050190764379431632noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-33713699434656580552008-11-27T21:43:00.000-08:002008-11-27T21:43:00.000-08:00I think all concerns are valid. What I meant by m...I think all concerns are valid. What I meant by my other post is I don't think that we should pit ourselves against each other. The thing that opponents of APP would most want to see is an internal conflict develop within the APP community like North vs South, East vs West, etc.<BR/><BR/>That doesn't mean we can't disagree, but we should focus on the larger picture.concernedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04894018401735762008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-64254449015693803962008-11-27T19:57:00.000-08:002008-11-27T19:57:00.000-08:00So, "concerned", what would you have me say? Our d...So, "concerned", what would you have me say? Our daughter and her friends from this area who go to Lowell ALREADY take bus rides that last as long as an hour to school and longer coming home. When I drive her it takes 30-40 minutes. <BR/><BR/>Yet not only did we choose Lowell, we did it knowing that instead of being able to drop her off 10 minutes from home we were consigning her to long bus rides. It seesm that when many north end parents are faced with the same, it's a deal-breaker.<BR/><BR/>You seem to be saying two things-one, that you don't think parents who disagree with the majority should speak up and two, that the 52% up north should trump the 48% in the south. <BR/><BR/>I can't agree with either position. No school facing changes is going to have 100% parent agreement, but that doesn't mean the minority opinions need to be silenced. The district isn't going to expect complete agreement. I don't believe the powers that be are going to base decisions on whether all parents want exactly the same thing.<BR/><BR/>The new locations suggested for APP will benefit us based on distance, all other variables removed. That doesn't mean I don't think your concerns are valid. But I don't think it's fair to essentially tell me to shut up because you're one of the 52% who may not feel as I do.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-4291444840411457902008-11-27T11:01:00.000-08:002008-11-27T11:01:00.000-08:00"But consider this-Thurgood Marshall is only block..."But consider this-Thurgood Marshall is only blocks away from Washington Middle School and Garfield High School, where the APP middle and high school students go."<BR/><BR/>It's not just the difference in putting a younger child on the bus versus an older one. The buses to Washington have been far more reliable and timely than the buses to Lowell. In fact, the Washington bus my kids have taken has been about the same amount of time door to door as the Lowell bus, despite going almost one and a half times as far from my house. If there were any prospect of achieving the same degree of efficiency for the route to Thurgood Marshall, I wouldn't complain too much, I don't think (though my youngest is in 5th this year, so it really doesn't apply to us personally).<BR/><BR/>It's true that in my experience almost any bus ride may turn into forty-five minutes or an hour for some of the kids on the route. When I had one child taking the bus from Whittier and one from Lowell, the one from Whittier got home later, because she was so near the end of the route, despite Whittier being about a quarter the distance from us. <BR/><BR/>Helen Schinskehschinskehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10316478950862562594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-5825898658494744892008-11-27T10:07:00.000-08:002008-11-27T10:07:00.000-08:00Please AGIBEAN 1958, we need to work for the same ...Please AGIBEAN 1958, we need to work for the same goals. We can't afford to create divisions.<BR/><BR/> We all made decisions about whether to send our kids to Lowell based on its current location. The district suggests that the bus time won't be much longer. How can this possibly be? There are people north of the school and it takes them 30-40 minutes to get to Lowell when driving their own car (bus would take longer). How can driving seven miles more south, through the city, not take more time?<BR/><BR/>This proposed new school location, Marshall for those of us North, requires the 52% on the northend to be bussed for much longer than they are now. Hawthorne appears to be a better location for some of the 48% south, but I am not sure about West Seattle. That looks like it might be a difficult drive.<BR/><BR/>We need to work on a solution that can make as many of us as possible happy in a difficult situation. We cannot afford to pit ourselves against each other. <BR/><BR/>I really appreciate this great blog and the conversations that it inspires.concernedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04894018401735762008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-31196956854349784942008-11-27T09:42:00.000-08:002008-11-27T09:42:00.000-08:00Good catch, Jeremy. As the lone voice about Facil...Good catch, Jeremy. As the lone voice about Facilities, I can say that several buildings that have been closed and/or are on this list have had recent major repairs. That means that a building is either going to stand empty with repairs that are now going unused (fiber optics, etc.) or are now going to be torn out (Denny/Sealth). For example, I questioned why the Colombia building (which housed Orca) was slated for a new roof under BTA II and didn't get it. I was told by Facilities that yes, the company hired to look over the buildings said "the roof was at the end of its functional life" but Maintenance people looked at it and said a patch was good enough for a couple of years. And they claim they are holding on to the allotted money for the new roof until the roof is bad.Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12588239576000641336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-66856096700939817712008-11-27T09:37:00.000-08:002008-11-27T09:37:00.000-08:00I've seen posts here and on other blogs about the ...I've seen posts here and on other blogs about the long distances so many Lowell kids will now need to travel if APP is moved to two south end schools. It's being presented as a deal-breaker for some families.<BR/><BR/>But consider this-Thurgood Marshall is only blocks away from Washington Middle School and Garfield High School, where the APP middle and high school students go. And, Hawthorne isn't much farther away. <BR/><BR/>Is the objection here because we're talking about elementary students-thus that it's ok for older kids to travel on long bus rides, but not the younger ones?<BR/>Or are the objections just due to the fact you don't know how close the two proposed elementaries are to the already-APP chosen schools for the upper grades?<BR/><BR/>I'd also like to point out that those of us in South and West Seattle are ALREADY sending our kids on long bus rides to Lowell, which is a far from us as TM or Hawthorne might be from some of you. Is the problem then, that we're willing to travel to where the program is, wherever it may be, but north end parents aren't?<BR/><BR/>If the school must be split, I don't see a problem with northend parents wanting a north end APP site, if you can find one. But to say that anything more distant than Lowell is "too far" ignores those of us already sending our kids "far". Somehow I don't think that we'd be calling for heads on platters if APP was being moved even farther north.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com