2 days till closed West Seattle school reopens for summer session

Thanks to a neighbor’s tip, we broke the news back in April that, two years after the district closed it, Fairmount Park Elementary would reopen for summer school this year. Now, we’ve now from the summer session site coordinator (principal), Angela Sheffey, who says teachers arrive Wednesday and students start next Monday – she wanted to share some data points with the community:

1. Summer school will be in session daily from July 1st to July 30th.
2. The school hours will be 8 AM to 1 PM.
3. We will have approx. 350 students attending summer school.
4. The faculty will need all of the (small) parking lot parking, as well as the street parking.
5. Please report any and all suspicious activity to the police @ 911

Sheffey says the students who will be at Fairmount Park are all grade-schoolers – second, third and fifth grade, to be specific. As for what’ll happen to the building – hit recently by break-ins – in the future: We reported last week that the city has provided opinions regarding possible uses of this closed school and 7 others citywide (including Genesee Hill and E.C. Hughes in West Seattle). The School Board, incidentally, meets Wednesday, with an agenda including a final vote on the sale of Jefferson Square “air rights” to the company that had been leasing them for the apartments over the shopping center.

Guy June 29, 2009 (9:41 pm)

A school custodian told me the reason that they hold classes in recently closed schools is to keep them certified for use. If the school sits unused for longer than (I think) two years it will need to be recertified and most schools will need significant upgrades. So by holding summer school they can get around it in case they need to reopen it or use it for temporary use.

Jeanette June 29, 2009 (10:44 pm)

I was not aware that summer school faculty had exclusive rights to the street parking surrounding the school. Perhaps the faculty will sweep up the broken beer bottles surrounding the school? The district seems wholly uninterested in maintaining a clean, safe property. Worst neighbors ever!

Sorry, comment time is over.