More school news: Projected enrollments for next year

The Seattle School Board will vote tonight on next year’s “capacity management” changes, delayed a week to await new enrollment projections for next school year. As first pointed out Wednesday on the Seattle Schools Community Forum website, those numbers are available now, in advance of the meeting. You can see the full citywide list here. Looking at projections for West Seattle schools, the only significant changes are projected for K-5 STEM at Boren (up to 327 from the current 268), West Seattle Elementary (up to 452 from 399), Gatewood Elementary (up to 506 from 461), and Schmitz Park Elementary (projected to become West Seattle’s most populous public elementary, to 596 from 536 in the 2013-14 school year).

Tonight’s meeting, by the way, is at 5 pm at district HQ in SODO; here’s the agenda.

Tony January 31, 2013 (5:05 am)

Schmitz Park- 2 more double portables
W Seattle Elem.- 3 more single portables.
Denny- 1 Double portable.
STEM @ Boren- at least they have room.
All to be added this summer.
Get used to it.

NeighborMom January 31, 2013 (5:38 am)

So Schmitz Park’s new school is going to exceed capacity before it opens? IF it opens?

sara January 31, 2013 (7:41 am)

Has the school district ever apologized to the West Seattle community for its thoroughly inaccurate and negligent handling of enrollment projections several years ago that saw the closures, and leasing of, of schools that now are costing even more to prepare for the numbers boom? Parents again and again stated the obvious at district meetings onto deaf ears.

Ugh January 31, 2013 (8:05 am)

Maybe their goal/plan is to make Schmitz Park so over-crowded that it becomes an unappealing choice.

Sadly, I’m only partially kidding.

I certainly hope that they keep the current school as well as a new school open as neighborhood schools.

wsea January 31, 2013 (8:13 am)

Schmiz park will be the next commuter school to join the ranks of Lafayette. I don’t think the large elementary school concept is working. With cutting down on administration cost by consolidating schools, they are creating more issues with a lack of oversight on students and teachers.

Tony January 31, 2013 (8:18 am)

Redrawn boundaries, additional schools opening ( Fairmount Park, EC Hughes ), other rebuilds (Arbor Heights) , hopefully SP will have SOME room to grow….

Raincity January 31, 2013 (8:20 am)

Why get used to it? Put pressure on SPS for changes. SPE increase enrollment is 60 or two single or one double.

Tony January 31, 2013 (8:29 am)

Enrollment is estimated 7000 new students in the next 10 years. Without new buildings, portables and repurposing existing rooms is the only plan on the table.

S January 31, 2013 (8:39 am)

If this following information “Denny- 1 Double portable.” is true then we have a real problem. Didnt they just rebuild Denny on the back lot of Cheap Sealth HS. There should be no reason to have the use of a portable if a building was just build. They should have build it to carry more kids then what was enrolled.

WS Mom January 31, 2013 (9:13 am)

Are they changing boundaries?

WSB January 31, 2013 (9:51 am)

No boundary changes in our area for next year. But the discussion of boundary changes isn’t far off, for the entire district, related to the BEX levy projects, among other things. (Example: Fairmount Park Elementary reopens, with expanded capacity, in fall 2014, and there is no decision yet on who will go there – neighborhood school? Or?) – TR

Tony January 31, 2013 (9:25 am)

@S….. True. Bank on it. Also ANOTHER portable for Sealth this summer. That’s 3 total for Chief Sealth.

Brontosaurus January 31, 2013 (9:53 am)

I winder why STEM is only projected to add 59 students. There are currently around 84 kindergarteners at the school. Does this mean that SPS is only planning 2 K classes next year, as opposed to the current 3.5 K classes?

WSMama3 January 31, 2013 (9:53 am)

WS Mom – Yes. The plan is to get the levy passed and then once we have the “go!” to move forward to begin the boundary discussions.

If the levy does not pass THIS MESS just gets worse. You can’t not fund schools and expect them to make it work.

7000 students coming into schools in the next 10 years. This mess is getting bigger.

And on that note – remember to vote & send in your ballot!

vote yes on BEX January 31, 2013 (10:41 am)

Vote yes on BEX, we need every seat that can be built!

beef January 31, 2013 (11:29 am)

brontosaurus – look at the 2013 K enrollment figures, they show oct 13 numbers at 79, which i assume is 3 classes. the overall increase comes from the small number of 5th graders who went to STEM for just 2012 and will be moving on to middle school.

george January 31, 2013 (12:26 pm)

No on BEX. You can’t solve the problem by just throwing money at it. Its time for new leadership. Maybe if we cut off the hand that feeds the beast, SPS can stop leaning on the taxpayer to bail them out everytime. Its time for some Tough Love to get their act together, once and for all.
Yes, we have kids in these affected schools. Money doesn’t solve everything.

george January 31, 2013 (12:31 pm)

Its a strong statement that the SPS waited until after the General Election to throw this voting process. School-levy campaigns often are quiet affairs, intended to draw their supporters to the polls in low-turnout races. Can’t blame them for hiding the $1.25 BILLION price tag…would send half the city running and screaming to the polls.

kayo January 31, 2013 (1:07 pm)

Families like ours left a neighborhood school largely because of the push for boundary changes that would affect our younger child. We did not want to deal with the stress of moving a third grader if we could not get our younger child in. Maybe boundaries won’t change, but it was enough to make us want to change to an option school. Anyone with younger kids not yet enrolled should be paying attention to boundaries. Since SPS does not guarantee sibling grandfathering and has given no indication that they will do that, it is an important issue. Also, anyone moving and thinking they are buying into a particular school zone should be aware of this issue. Boundary changes are coming. The growth at WS and Schmitz and opening of Fairmount make that inevitable.

RS January 31, 2013 (1:21 pm)

Vote yes on BEX. Seriously, the time to borrow money is now, when the need is there and the price to borrow is right. Tough love? Do you realize who you’re punishing? Yes, the administration is clearly incompetent for getting things into this state, but saying no to an obviously critical levy at a fair price is stupid. The administration can be fixed and cajoled separately.

george January 31, 2013 (3:29 pm)

No. Stupidity is throwing good money after bad. This Administration has frustated thousands of families and parents with its lack of clarity and transparency. This has been ongoing for many, many years. Where does it stop? Kids are more resilient that you give them credit for. Buildings are falling apart. The backs are against the wall. Its when true colors show and people shine. Lets see it.

evergreen January 31, 2013 (5:28 pm)

I’m surprised anyone chose our school, K5STEM. It is perfectly fine, my child loves it, but our future has so much uncertainty due to district management.

I don’t understand why SPS drew boundaries so large that Schmitz Park can ‘t fit into the building.

A January 31, 2013 (8:19 pm)

Amen George! I am also voting no and yes I do have a child in SPS (unfortunately).

family of four January 31, 2013 (8:52 pm)

Where are they going to put the portables at Schmitz Park? More kids, more portables and a ever shrinking playground! How is a school that is ALREADY bursting at the seems handle more kids? They are maxed out in so many ways it is not even funny! I feel for their staff!

westello January 31, 2013 (9:40 pm)

There WILL be new boundaries coming in late, late 2013. The district stated this at a recent Work Session. Boundaries will change nearly everywhere but, of course, in our most stressed areas – West Seatle and NE Seattle.

Yes, passing the levies is vital.

Tony February 1, 2013 (5:01 am)

@FamilyofFour….next to the two double portables by the main parking lot. Everything is getting maxed out. Power, data, plumbing, kitchen, etc.

N.A. Neighbor February 1, 2013 (8:34 am)

https://westseattleblog.com/2013/01/first-development-proposal-for-upzoned-south-admiral-site-166-apartments-at-3210-california-sw

This is EXACTLY why BEX levies need to pass. 166 units going where there used to be very few. You can be sure there will be school-aged kids there and guess where their neighborhood school will be: Already-busting-at-the-seams Schmitz Park. Developers don’t care about whether you are sending a message to the school district or the tax man – they’ll keep making money by bringing in higher density developments and it will be the kids that suffer. You may think you’re simply throwing money at the problem, but West Seattle needs every new seat in every school it can manage. Vote yes!

S February 8, 2013 (8:48 am)

Vote No, on BEX. We need to send a message to SPS and let them know that we will not help them be dumb anymore. We need to demand a change in the system and we need to take over.

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