SCHOOLS: Feedback time for West Seattle Elementary addition

| High Point | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Another major Seattle Public Schools project is in the feedback phase for its environmental checklist – the levy-funded West Seattle Elementary School addition in High Point.

July 27 – next Monday – is the deadline or public comment on the project’s Draft SEPA (State Environmental Policy Act) checklist. Documents like these are far more comprehensive than the term “checklist” would suggest. This is 218 pages long, as you can see here or below:

The document includes many project details, including that it’s planned for a site east of the current WSES building, and that if it stays on schedule, WSES would move to the former Schmitz Park Elementary for 2021-2022 (as we reported last January), while construction proceeds. The document says WSES’s existing capacity is 320 students, but enrollment this past year was 100+ more. The addition would create room for up to 130 students. The $22 million project’s funding includes a state grant as well as the SPS BEX V levy. The document adds, “As part of the project, existing recreation space on the campus would be expanded and renovated, including an expanded and renovated hard surface play area, new play structures, a new student garden area, and a renovated grass field area. The project also includes an option for an approximately 3,000 sq. ft. covered play area in the southwest corner of the campus.”

If you’re interested in commenting, this page on the SPS website explains how, via either email or postal mail.

MamaSuze July 21, 2020 (10:00 pm)

Why don’t they send those 100 plus students to Sanislo which is under enrolled?

Neighbor July 22, 2020 (7:49 am)

The way I read the post, there are 100+ more students enrolled at WS Elementary than the schools capacity, which is 320. So that means there’s 420+ Students enrolled there. Probably why they need a whole school to move into temporarily. Also can’t just start re-drawing the distribution line for where students go to school, these are all kids that live near the school, walking distance a lot of the times, so sending some of the students elsewhere doesn’t always make sense. Sounds like a much needed addition!

anonyme July 22, 2020 (7:23 am)

This looks like a fairly new school. Why was capacity so grossly underestimated? Or was expansion always part of the plan?

WSB July 22, 2020 (9:52 am)

Things can and do change in 32 years. This school opened in 1988.
- Cat July 22, 2020 (10:47 am)
  
  An extremely long time ago, maybe 20 years ago the school’s enrollment was so low that they had a community meeting about the possibility of closing the “High Point School”, the name it used to be. But the district ended up keeping it open.
  - WSB July 22, 2020 (12:00 pm)
    
    And of course you’ll recall the arduous school-closure discussions not that long ago … certainly less than 20 years. Much has changed.