(WSB photo from then-Superintendent-to-be José Banda’s tour of Arbor Heights in May 2012)
This afternoon, Seattle Public Schools sent the district’s families and community an update on the newest proposal for what to send to voters in the BEX (“Building Excellence”) IV levy next February. To get right to the point, here are the three toplines for West Seattle:
Arbor Heights Elementary: Replace existing building with new/expanded facility by 2019
Fairmount Park: Open this existing building with necessary upgrades, add classrooms and a lunchroom by 2014
Schmitz Park: Replace existing Genesee Hill building with a new/expanded facility on the Genesee Hill site; relocate Schmitz Park to the new facility by 2015
The Arbor Heights community was unhappy with the previous plan (here’s our report from May) for a 2018 opening for a new school; now, it’s been pushed back another year.
Also of note: The former EC Hughes Elementary campus – currently leased to independent Westside School (WSB sponsor) – is not mentioned in the announcement (nor is it on the accompanying draft slide). We may not be able to confirm until tomorrow whether that means the prospect of reopening it as a public school is off the table.
Read on for the complete announcement sent districtwide, including the list of public meetings ahead (in West Seattle, the meeting’s at Madison Middle School at 6:30 pm September 24):
Dear Seattle Public School families, staff and community:
We opened our doors to about 49,500 students last week and had a great start to our 2012-13 school year. We spent time in several schools and it was wonderful to see our students already engaged in learning.
Seattle Public Schools is growing!
Anticipating approximately 1,000 new students this year, we have been working hard to address our enrollment growth challenges. Projections show continued year-to-year increases in our enrollment for the next five years and beyond. We estimate an enrollment of more than 57,000 students by the 2021-22 school year, if current trends continue.Part of our long-term solution to meet the demands of this growing enrollment is the continuation of our capital levies, including the Building Excellence IV (BEX IV) Capital Levy, to be submitted to Seattle voters in February 2013. This levy would provide capital funding for six years (2014-2019) and would help with necessary remodeling and replacement of existing buildings, along with new/expanded school facilities.
This status report provides you with our updated BEX IV project list. We want your feedback on this latest proposal, and will be sharing the list at three upcoming community meetings. The School Board is expected to vote on the final BEX IV list in early November.
What are we doing to plan for this growth?
During the summer, we have been doing in-depth work reviewing a variety of potential capital projects, all of which were screened using four important criteria established by the School Board. These criteria require that proposed projects address issues surrounding:
1) safety and security
2) meeting capacity needs
3) building condition
4) maximizing flexibility for programs and servicesIn putting together a proposed Building Excellence plan, our staff is continuing an extensive review process. During the past spring and summer, we have:
Conducted community engagement in April to receive ideas and feedback from the public.
Solicited input from school principals, the Facilities and Capacity Management
Advisory Committee (FACMAC), District program staff and our School Board.
Analyzed new enrollment projections and demographic data from several different sources.
Updated project cost estimates from construction estimators, architects and engineers.
Continued to analyze and update school building capacity numbers.What is the latest proposal for BEX IV projects?
Based on the variety of suggestions we received last spring and the resulting analysis of data, estimates and projections this summer, the district has revised and refined the proposed list of potential BEX IV projects. It’s important to note the project list shown below is not final. We will continue to take into consideration future feedback and input from our staff, advisory committee and community before the final recommendation is sent to the Board for consideration and approval this fall. The following is a summary of currently proposed projects under consideration for BEX IV:Arbor Heights Elementary: Replace existing building with new/expanded facility by 2019.
Fairmount Park: Open this existing building with necessary upgrades, add classrooms and a lunchroom by 2014
Lincoln building: Modernize and open as a new high school by 2019
Mann building: Modernize and construct a new addition for NOVA by 2014
Meany Middle School: Reconfigure for a comprehensive central region middle school by 2017
Mercer Middle School: Build an addition to meet enrollment projections by 2019
North Beach Elementary: Replace the existing building and add capacity by 2018
Northeast Seattle elementary school: To meet growing capacity, add K-5 school on Thornton Creek site.
Olympic Hills K-5: Replace existing building with a new/expanded facility by 2017
Queen Anne Elementary: Build classroom and gym addition to the building by 2019
Schmitz Park: Replace existing Genesee Hill building with a new/expanded facility on the Genesee Hill site; relocate Schmitz Park to the new facility by 2015
Wilson-Pacific: Replace building with a new elementary and middle school for additional capacity by 2017
Wing Luke Elementary: Replace existing building with a new/expanded facility by 2020During the construction period, we will house students at interim sites, including Boren, Columbia, the original Van Asselt building, Lincoln and John Marshall. In addition, this plan builds flexibility for housing instructional programs such as Accelerated Placement Program (APP).
The following two schools were on the list of possible projects last spring, but are not currently being recommended:
Jane Addams K-8: Will not move to Cedar Park
Daniel Bagley Elementary: Because of revised enrollment forecasts, it has been determined that additional capacity is not needed to the degree originally projected.What other possible BEX IV projects are under consideration?
Technology improvements: Wireless in every school and needed hardware upgrades.
Seismic Improvements: A total of 67 schools would receive seismic upgrades.
Lunchroom and core facilities: Currently planning lunchrooms at Green Lake and McGilvra elementary schools.
Major preventive maintenance and infrastructure improvements.
Interim downtown school: dependent upon external partnership funding.
Capacity flexibility: Building stronger core facilities to provide for expansion and including academic program placement and services close to where families live.The latest BEX IV list of possible projects totals about $650 million. Additional information is online at http://bit.ly/SPSBEX
In addition to meetings with staff, FACMAC and the School Board, we will have another important round of community meetings later in September to present updated information and ask for feedback. You are invited to attend one of these meetings:
Thursday, Sept. 20, 6:30-8 p.m. at Whitman Middle School
Monday, Sept. 24, 6:30- 8 p.m. at Madison Middle School
Thursday, Sept. 27, 6:30-8 p.m. at McClure Middle SchoolIn the meantime, we continue to collect, record and review all input. Send comments to capacity@seattleschools.org.
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