Something to say about BEX 4 school levy? Say it Monday

Big meeting tomorrow (Monday) night in West Seattle for those with something to say about Seattle Public Schools‘ BEX 4 levy before it’s finalized and sent to voters. Tomorrow may be the last public meeting here, since the School Board is scheduled to approve the levy’s language in November, though the election is not until February. We reported on the most recent version when it was announced to district families September 11th, then followed up with more details from the School Board “work session” the next day.

The Arbor Heights Elementary community (left) is particularly concerned about BEX 4 because, while their dilapidated school is still scheduled for a $45 million rebuild, the newest version of the levy plan pushes it back another year to completion and opening in fall 2019. As this grid shows, West Seattle’s two other major projects would be done first – a $20 million addition/upgrade plan for the five-years-closed Fairmount Park Elementary so it could open in fall 2014, and a $38 million rebuild of overcrowded Schmitz Park Elementary on the three-years-closed Genesee Hill campus, to open in fall 2015. The Arbor Heights PTSA is putting out a call for support at tomorrow night’s meeting:

Arbor Heights Elementary needs to be rebuilt ASAP – we cannot wait!
This can’t happen without our community/neighborhood support. Please tell your neighbors as well. …
Please wear yellow to show support.

The meeting is at 6:30 pm at Madison Middle School, 45th/Spokane. Here’s a preview of the PowerPoint (first shown at a meeting elsewhere in the city last week); other background material is linked here. The agenda for the meeting, and how comment will be taken, is shown here; if you can’t go but want to e-mail thoughts about the levy plan, capacity@seattleschools.org is the address.

SIDE NOTE: The day after this meeting, on Tuesday 9/25, West Seattle’s school board rep Marty McLaren has her first informal community-conversation meeting of the new school year, 1:15-3:15 pm at Delridge Library.

7 Replies to "Something to say about BEX 4 school levy? Say it Monday"

  • JJMolvik September 24, 2012 (7:15 am)

    Um. What does BEX stand for?

  • dirtycoyote September 24, 2012 (8:06 am)

    how are the levies being paid for?

  • Heidi A September 24, 2012 (12:09 pm)

    As a K-5 STEM parent, we also have concerns that the long-term future of our school is not being decided in conjunction with the levy. There is a ripple effect of the levy on all of our schools. If Boren is going to be used for other schools, where do we go? The levy includes funds for Fairmount, but the plan does not say what Fairmount will be used for.

  • a parent September 24, 2012 (1:49 pm)

    I assume that WSB will be at meeting to cover? Or will be covered live on the school districts website? Thanks!

    • WSB September 24, 2012 (1:52 pm)

      We’ll be there. But please be there if you can. The district does not record these (as of last round, anyway), much less livestream.

  • Duh September 24, 2012 (5:31 pm)

    Money comes from property owners. I say pay for the longstanding communities that have suffered decrepit conditions. Not new communities cut from whole cloth.

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