West Seattle schools: Six more portables on the way

(WSB file photo: Portable bound for West Seattle Elementary in 2012)
The Seattle Public Schools board is set to consider the next round of “capacity management” measures at its meeting this Wednesday, and that includes more portable classrooms at crowded schools, including three schools in West Seattle. According to this attachment from the board-meeting agenda, Pathfinder K-8 on Pigeon Point is slated to get a new portable this month. West Seattle Elementary in High Point will get two portables this summer, which is also the time frame for adding three more to Schmitz Park Elementary, where portables already number in the double digits. Other local capacity-management plans mentioned in the document include dividing a room at Alki Elementary.

Mike January 5, 2015 (2:41 pm)

how is it even legal to have that many students at Schmitz with the lack of facilities to provide food, water, toilets to support them all? Should parents start packing a NASA pee bag with lunches, maybe they can have a ‘crap in the woods’ break?

NW mama January 5, 2015 (9:33 pm)

My goodness. Portables are not suitable for learning. Come on SPS, figure it out and build more and maintain your facilities!!!! And yes, tax me for it, please.

Parent January 6, 2015 (12:25 am)

Substandard.

ws January 6, 2015 (12:18 pm)

wow, what does that bring Schmitz park up to? 21 portables?

FJ January 6, 2015 (7:55 pm)

3 more at Schmitz Park. That is JUST INSANE. that’s like, 20 toilets for 640 kids? We are so third world, maybe Bill Gates can donate some toilets and running water.

BJ January 8, 2015 (5:42 pm)

I don’t like to see portables as substitutes for classrooms, but how can one say that they’re not suitable for learning? In some cases they might be even better for learning. And to joke that we are 3rd world, believe me; none of these schools come close to 3rd world where they are lucky to even have a chalkboard (no, not even a whiteboard), or books or desks. And their toilets usually consist of a hole in the ground. I know it’s frustrating as a parent to send your children to a older school and as a teacher it’s even more frustrating to have to teach in conditions like this, but it’s even more frustrating to read comments that are inaccurate.