With so much going on last night, we sought some help making sure the major events could all be covered — and a WSB’er who has reported previously for us, Evan Baumgardner, agreed to handle one of them — the Seattle Public Schools hearing on the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse sale (one month after a community meeting about it, WSB coverage here). Here’s his report:

By Evan Baumgardner
WSB contributor

Seattle Public Schools held a public meeting regarding the sale of the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse last night, at the old schoolhouse. The meeting was very well attended, even with the West Seattle Food Bank holding its “Instruments of Change” fundraiser at the same time in another room. More than 70 people were in attendance.

Ron English, property manager for Seattle Public Schools, said that Seattle Public Schools does not have to sell the building, but a decision was made that there is not enough potential for student growth in the area, so the decision was made to sell the building since it had been designated surplus and has not been a school since 1981.

The only negotiating party in the purchase of the building is the master tenant, Fauntleroy Community Services Agency. It is a one-year exclusive agreement, and Seattle Public Schools cannot talk to anyone else until June. English said that the goal of Seattle Public Schools is to sell the building to the current master tenant and nobody else, and that Seattle Public Schools wants the building to continue to be a community resource, but state law requires that they seek full fair market value as well as the “highest and best use” of the property.

Kevin Wooley spoke for the agency and was greeted with a large amount of applause, reflecting the support this organization has in the community. He said that they are working hard to purchase the building. They have a plan that they are working towards to raise the money needed, but will likely need a lot more help.

Many members of the community spoke, asking that the building not be sold to developers. One of the people that spoke was West Seattle’s State Senator Joe McDermott. He said he recognizes the value of this community asset, and he wants to make sure that it is not lost in this transaction. Responding to concerns about the lofty sale price of the property (which has not been revealed to the public) he did say that there are funds available from the state and the city that could help to keep the school in the hands of the community.

Former school board member Irene Stewart was present and spoke, and said that she does not oppose the sale of the building as long as it is sold to the current master tenant at a reasonable price and that they are given a reasonable period of time to put together the money for the purchase. She said that there is no reason that Seattle Public Schools has to entertain any offer at any time from anyone other than the current tenant for a reasonable price, a remark that was met with a standing ovation.

According to English, there is nothing obliging the current school board to sell the property. The school board could strike down the sale of this building, and it would take a total of four votes to do so, not seven. People opposed to the sale of the Fauntleroy School house should lobby School Board members. However, when West Seattle’s current School Board member Steve Sundquist spoke, while he said he did not have a specific position on the sale of the property, it did not sound like he would be willing to vote to stop the sale. He said he is hopeful that they will be able to come to an agreement with the community organizations, but “we cannot be infinitely patient.” He said they do want it to remain in the hands of the community, and will “stay open minded and also stay tough minded” because of the kids on both sides of the deal. He believes that there can be a win-win situation between the school district and the community, and that it is a very tough decision because of the impact on the community from the sale, and the school district’s point of view in terms of what they believe they need to do for the benefit of current and future Seattle Public School students.

In response to the arguments that it would be best for Seattle Public Schools to not sell the building, and to retain it in the event that it may be needed to serve as a school again in the future, he cited a 10-year projection is a decline of students in West Seattle. When a building is no longer a school, it gets placed into one of two categories, either inventory or surplus. Schools placed in inventory are buildings they think they may have need for again in the future as schools, and surplus are buildings that the school district does not believe it will never need that property again. Since the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse has not been a school since 1981, it has been placed in surplus, and the Fairmount Park school building — closed since the end of last school year — is scheduled to be inventory.
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What’s next: The June deadline for the FCSA and SPS to reach an agreement in their exclusive negotiations. Also, you can tell Seattle Public Schools what you think about the proposed sale — here’s how to contact the School Board.