(Meeting video added Tuesday)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Seattle Public Schools plans to stake its future on “well-resourced schools” – but hasn’t settled yet on what exactly they are.

That’s one of the takeaways from what turned out to be a relatively short online community meeting about the district’s budget woes. Four district executives sat at a table, presenting information and answering questions for about 40 minutes before turning the rest of the hour over to other district staffers for Q/A in a Zoom chat window.

They reiterated that no decisions on school closures/consolidations would be made until spring of next year. One attendee, via onscreen Q/A, complained that’s too late, as enrollment decisions need to be made earlier in the year.

Assistant superintendent Bev Redmond warned attendees at the start of the meeting aBrent Jones gave a short overview of problems he said were causing the district’s $131 million budget gap for next year – declining enrollment since 2017, state funding still not covering the full cost of education.

Chief operations officer Fred Podesta then rolled out the numbers: The current year has a $1.14 billion district general-fund budget, and money from the levy-generated capital fund can’t be transferred to it.

The district has to show the state a balanced budget by August. To cover the $131 million gap, he said they’ll throw in almost half that much from district reserved, and will also make some notable cuts – including $33 million from the “central office.” But, he added, this is not a “one-time problem” – he said state funding covers only about half the price tag of special education and transportation, and barely a third of multilingual education.

Meantime, on the enrollment front, low estimates show the district could be down to 43,000 students in 10 years. (Three trajectories of enrollment estimates were shown but not explained.)

Then that phrase “well-resourced schools” took centerstage again. Associate superintendent Dr. Concie Pedroza listed some attributes:

From there, the four at the table answered a few questions:

Why now? They’ve been covering budget gaps for years with various forms of one-time funding, so the underlying problem is not new.

Will my student’s teacher lose their jobs? The executives said they expected minimal job losses because hundreds of educators leave the district every year, and so even if a specific job is cut at a specific school, that teacher should be able to be placed somewhere else.

Why are you building/expanding schools if enrollment is dropping? Podesta said rebuilds are more efficient than modernizations for older buildings, and that they’ll improve safety. Plus, he said, the city continues to grow and the district must “take the long view.”

How are budget-cut decisions being made? Podesta reiterated that the district is trying to minimize cuts at schools by cutting more from the central office.

Why is enrollment declining? The contributing factors that were listed did not include any potential dissatisfaction with the district; the number of households with children isn’t rising at the same rate as the city population in general, they noted, also citing the housing crunch, lower birth rates, and changes wrought by the pandemic. Overall, Dr. Jones suggested, “we’re doing a pretty good job … I don’t think we’ve been telling our story.” The district plans to start doing that via an “enrollment campaign.”

After the four executives signed off and invited attendees to keep asking questions in Zoom (written) chat, several brought up the issue of the district lacking solid data on why families have left the district – or declined to choose it in the first place. One suggested a “simple exit survey” would be in order.

The only answer we found of note in the onscreen chat: “School consolidation does not typically affect class size,” said SPS budget director Linda Sebring.

WHAT’S NEXT? “Engagement” will begin in earnest in fall, said Redmond. Here’s the rest of the timeline:

As noted in our previous coverage, West Seattle was part of a wave of school closures in the late ’00s.

(Rendering by Mahlum, from last year’s info packet for proposed zoning ‘departures’)

6:27 PM: The decision isn’t final until Seattle Public Schools superintendent Dr. Brent Jones reviews it, but a district hearing examiner has issued his recommendation on an appeal related to the plan to rebuild and expand Alki Elementary (previous WSB coverage here). SPS hearing examiner Gary McLean said the appellants did not prove that the district was wrong in determining that the project did not require a full environmental review. His ruling’s summary:

Based on the entire record taken as a whole, the appeal should be denied. The appellants failed to offer sufficient evidence to establish that any probable, significant, adverse environmental impact will result from the project, even after requiring the project to meet existing laws, regulations, and measures noted in the environmental information included in the record. The Examiner is not left with a definite and firm conviction that a mistake has been committed.

In this type of challenge, the burden is on appellants to prove that the original decision – in this case, the decision that a full environmental review was not needed – was in error. The appeal was argued at a two-day hearing last month. The ruling summarizes testimony on behalf of the appeal – mostly area residents – and on behalf of the district – an array of “expert witnesses” led by an attorney from a private law firm that specializes in land-use cases. Hearing examiner McLean also noted that he visited the site multiple times between the completion of the hearing and the issuance of his ruling. His ruling summarizes the issues presented in the appeal as:

Archaeological/Cultural Resource Concerns;
Aesthetic/View Impact Concerns, especially for residents located uphill, behind the building.
Traffic and parking concerns.
General discussion.

In all, McLean wrote, “The witness testimony presented during all three appeal presentations added little, if any, substantive evidence that would serve to rebut the expert consultant studies, and on-site observations of the surrounding area, summarized by District witnesses during the appeal hearing. … The appellants’ evidence and testimony in this appeal was mostly a recitation of personal beliefs, opinions, and conclusory assertions. While sincere and genuinely concerned about the neighborhood and public schools, none of the appellant witnesses presented testimony or evidence of the same weight as the professional subject-matter expert reports and testimony included in the record.”

Again, the SPS superintendent now has to review this and make a final decision on the appeal. But that won’t be the last say on the project. The building and land-use permit applications remain under review by the city Department of Construction and Inspections; its decision, including whether to grant nine zoning exceptions (“departures”), also will be subject to appeal. Construction at the 3010 59th SW site is planned to start after this school year ends in June; Alki students and staff are scheduled to move into the former Schmitz Park Elementary for the next two school years.

9:14 PM: Just got word that the superintendent’s decision is in. In a one-paragraph letter, he accepts the hearing ecaminer’s recommendation:

I have received the Hearing Examiner’s Recommendation (“Recommendation”) regarding the SEPA Appeal that was filed by several appellants for the Alki Elementary School Addition and Renovation Project. I have carefully reviewed the Recommendation and find it to be sound. As a result, I adopt the Hearing Examiner’s Recommendation. Appellants’ evidence has not shown the Responsible Official’s SEPA determination to be clearly erroneous.

SEPA = State Environmental Policy Act; its provisions shape processes like this one.

(File photo)

Were you in Chief Sealth‘s 1973 graduating class, or do you have a relative who was? Reunion organizers are circulating the invitation to this year’s big party – the 50th! Organizers say, “We are looking for all classmates.” The party is on August 19th at the Museum of Flight, 1-5 pm. If you’re interested, email Jerry McCullough at Sealth.Reunion.1973@gmail.com. You’re also invited to check out this social-media page.

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When Seattle Public Schools sounded the alarm about its budget crunch at the end of February, the district mentioned it would hold an informational community meeting on March 20th. Today SPS sent an advisory with details:

Seattle Public Schools is hosting an online event for families and community members to learn more about the SPS budget.

The district is facing a significant projected budget deficit and is working for a stable financial future that ensures funding for the highest priorities.

Who: Seattle Public Schools leaders

What: Online event providing details about district budget planning strategies and answers to frequently asked questions.

American Sign Language, Amharic, Cantonese, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese interpreters will be available. After the event, a recording will be posted to the Funding our Future webpage.

When: Monday, March 20, 2023; 6 p.m.

Where: Join Zoom Webinar
Online with passcode: 997311
Or
By phone: 253-205-0468
Webinar ID: 844 5720 4378
Passcode: 997311

The meeting will also be streamed live on the SPSTV YouTube channel.

The School Board has to pass a balanced budget by early July.

(Rendering by Mahlum, from last year’s info packet for proposed zoning ‘departures’)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Seattle Public Schools says a decision is expected within days on a challenge to the plan to rebuild and expand Alki Elementary School.

The challenge focuses on the district’s determination that the project doesn’t need a full environmental impact statement (this “checklist” document was prepared instead). Three people appealed that, and a little-publicized two-day hearing was held on the challenge last month, before a hearing examiner working for SPS.

Several of the nearby residents who are opposed to aspects of the rebuild plan also brought their concerns to last Saturday’s community meeting held by local School Board director Leslie Harris at Delridge Library.

First, some backstory:

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Some schools have open houses for current families. Some have them for prospective families. What’s happening next week at Louisa Boren STEM K-8 is something different – “Community Week” activities. Here’s the announcement we were asked to share:

Come back to school with Louisa Boren STEM K-8 students March 13-17 to calculate pi, race the world’s smallest solar car, explore your local environmental impact, and engage in more activities focused on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

Louisa Boren STEM K-8 school in West Seattle is hosting STEM Community Week March 13-17, 2023 for school families and the broader community. Among the many favorite activities taking place: Girls Rock Math will calculate pi with wikki sticks on Pi Day March 14; attendees will explore blood and guts with the Pacific Science Center on March 15; and University of Washington’s Clean Energy Institute will run a solar-car derby on March 16.

School principal Ben Ostrom said, “Instilling a sense of curiosity and desire to learn more about the world around them through science, technology, engineering and math is sparking lifelong learning for our future builders and thinkers who will tackle big issues in the future.”

“When parents, caregivers and neighbors are involved in students’ education, students get better grades, have better attendance records, drop out less often, have higher aspirations, and more positive attitudes toward school and homework. STEM Community Week provides a perfect opportunity for friends, family and neighbors to invest in our students,” said 5th grade teacher Matthew McGavick.

The week’s activities include: a nature walk, math exploration, science experiments, an engineering workshop and culminates with a student art showcase, and a raffle of art, goods, and services from local businesses. Schedule and other details are available at stemk8pta.org.

The school is at 5950 Delridge Way SW.

A nine-digit budget gap is staring down Seattle Public Schools, and the district is talking about major cuts including possible “school consolidation” (closures) as soon as the 2024-2025 school year. No specific local schools have been mentioned yet, but SPS is now getting to the “community engagement” phase, so plans and proposals might emerge soon. Here’s the district FAQ on where things stand, noting a $131 million “structural deficit” in the budget, with enrollment decreasing yet staff increasing.

Some background, if you’re new to the area, West Seattle has been through school closures before: Fairmount Park Elementary was closed in 2007, then expanded and reopened in 2014. The former Genesee Hill Elementary had hosted Pathfinder K-8, which was moved to the Pigeon Point site of what had been Cooper Elementary until the district closed Cooper’s “program” in 2009; the old GHES was torn down in 2014 and replaced by a bigger new school into which the former Schmitz Park Elementary was moved. Currently the former Schmitz Park campus is used as an interim site for schools during construction projects – West Seattle Elementary is in its second year there right now, and Alki Elementary is scheduled to move there during its rebuild, starting this fall. (Despite the talk of cuts and closures, there’s been no talk so far of cancelling projects like Alki, which will expand that school’s capacity.)

The School Board is required to pass a balanced budget by early July. They held a work session on the budget situation this past Tuesday; you can see the background information here, and watch the meeting video here:

The district promises a “community budget information session” March 20th. But before then, you have a chance this Saturday to talk with and hear from our area’s representative on the School Board, Leslie Harris – regarding the budget and/or any other SPS issues of interest. She’ll be at Delridge Library (5423 Delridge Way SW) starting at 2 pm Saturday (March 4th).