October 20

Comment by tomorrow on new school boundaries

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26  comments

UPDATE: The School Board has extended its school boundary survey deadline until 6 p.m. Oct. 25.


Shown above is the proposed new Olympic View school boundary on top of the current one.

We’ve received a few emails from parents about the new boundaries proposed for Seattle Public Schools, which Olympic View Elementary parent Aiko Schaefer says would “splinter Maple Leaf kids to an even greater number of different schools.” She continues:

Schools are anchors to communities, the latest SPS proposal has Maple Leaf kids going every which way to school. The kids in the neighborhood play and grow up together, it will be a shame if they are not able to also learn together. I’m hoping Maple Leaf residents are able to weigh in on this proposal and help ensure we keep our neighborhood kids together.

In a nutshell, here is the current boundary for Olympic View, which was implemented when the school district moved to neighborhood schools in fall 2010. And here is a link to the school’s proposed new boundaries, which another parent pointed out would have children between Roosevelt and 15th Avenue Northeast who previously attended Olympic View crossing busy, unsidewalked 15th Avenue Northeast to reach Sacajawea Elementary.

But the splintering continues after elementary school, Schaefer says, which is shown by the new boundary proposal for middle schools and high schools:

(This proposal) splinters neighborhood kids to 3 different assignment areas. Overlaying the current assignment area for OV, the purple area starting at 100th north, sends OV kids to the new Jane Addams Middle School (to be established) then onto Nathan Hale High School. The salmon color running down the middle or Roosevelt then east will send kids to Eckstein Middle School then on to Roosevelt High School. The blue area that is between 100th and 75th and everything west of Roosevelt will send kids to Wilson Pacific Middle School (to be rebuilt and created) then on to Ingraham High School.

Now some things to note, the transition plan moving kids to school areas where buildings will be demolished and rebuilt over the next 3-4 years (with the recent levy dollars). Here’s the transition plan:

  1. Wilson Pacific is slated to be demolished next fall. They’ll begin rebuilding and kids assigned there will be funneled into Eckstein or Jane Addams for 2 years, then Wilson Pacific will open in 2016. Example, my kid who is going to middle school next fall will be at 1 school for 2 years, then moved to Wilson Pacific.
  2. While the Jane Addams building exists, the Middle School program does not. Currently that building houses the Jane Addams K-8 which will move to Pinehurst, which has been closed and will be demolished and rebuilt. The K-8 program will be temporarily housed in the John Marshall building near Green Lake.

I have the feeling we’re barely breaking the ice with the impacts these proposed changes will have on our community, so please share your comments below, and be sure to share them by the end of Oct. 21 (tomorrow!) with the School Board, which is accepting comments through this survey.

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  1. Anna, as a Maple Leaf parent, I am very upset that you have named your school boundaries campaigning Facebook page “Maple Leaf Parents”- as though all Maple Leaf Parents are in agreement with your views on this topic. Please change the name to something more appropriate. Parents who agree, I encourage you to say so here.

  2. The exclusion of the area north of 98th, west of Roosevelt, east of I-5 from Olympic View is odd.

    We waited long enough to have a child so that we avoided the idiocy of forced busing to far away schools. Glad that is over.

    It must be tough to forecast and establish boundaries. I guess the loudest may be heard?

  3. I live in the southern part of Maple Leaf and have two daughters at Green Lake Elementary. I just wanted to mention that — although I can’t speak for all my neighbors — I know a whole bunch of families in south Maple Leaf who VERY MUCH want to stay at Green Lake, and do not want to see that boundary changed. Green Lake is a little gem of a school and from our end of the neighborhood it is quite close. My daughters are in class sizes of 20 and 23, participate in a great multi-age program, and our family really values the community at the school (if anyone wants to hear more, I’d be happy to share!). If area 83 could stay with Green Lake, then that would allow more room for Olympic View’s boundary to be increased to the north, which from what I’m hearing is what many people in that area want. If you support this idea, please indicate that in the SPS feedback survey re area 83. Our families are very concerned about getting younger siblings into Green Lake, and the implications for middle school assignment (the current plan would have our children being split off from their Green Lake classmates and sent to Wilson Pacific for middle school).

  4. Also, if you go to the Sacajawea website and click on “Academics” there are links to lists of the Advanced Learning Opportunities (ALOs) and plans available to students in each grade level, school enrichment, activities, etc

  5. I forgot to mention that the Sacajawea staff, students and parents I’ve spoken with love the tight knit community (only 260 students) and highly supportive and involved parents and PTSA there. From speaking with Sacajawea teachers and parents, it sounds like the teachers do a good job of supporting advanced learners. Not sure about the principal, but to me the teachers make the bigger difference since they see and teach the students daily. The PTSA does a lot of fundraising as well and have been able to pay for a full time reading specialist, new playground equipment, technology, supplies, etc

  6. Becca- I haven’t heard that concern from the many Sacajawea parents I’ve spoken with. I have heard that the Principal is nearing retirement though. Also, I hear that Eckstein is very supportive of advanced learners

  7. (I meant to add: we’re between Roosevelt & 15th too.)
    But yes – the additional (real) mess is the divisions at middle & high school levels, too.

  8. It’s not as simple as people east of Roosevelt all being happy with being assigned to Sacajawea. Of the 5 families I’ve talked to on our block, all are unhappy about it. We’ve heard that the principal there is not supportive of advanced learners and frankly for road crossing, 15th has just as scary, fast traffic as Roosevelt and fewer traffic lights/crosswalks and is worse visibility because of narrower sidewalks.

  9. Interesting the NE vs NW conversation. We live on the easy side of the freeway yet not so many years ago our schools were Northgate Elementary and Whitman Middle. It made so much more sense to me when they used the freeway as a boundary. Too late for my kids( just barely) so I empathize and agree with your issue. It truly is two different worlds.

  10. Anna is saying this better than I am. I don’t have a problem with the Sacajawea/OV line move. If anything it will reduce the overcrowding at the ever popular OV which is a good thing for everyone. I just think its poor decision making to not consider neighborhood/geographical boundaries for Middle and High School as Paul said. Even though we have sidewalks on our street and those we walk I know and support any funding/initiatives that would get more sidewalks in the neighborhood because its in the best interest of the neighborhood as a whole. I am curious if the ML Community Council is going to take a position on this and if so what it will be.

  11. I have to agree with Anna. We moved to NE Seattle, I work in NE Seattle, and w enrolled our kids in NE Seattle pre-schools specifically so we could build a community in NE Seattle. To be shipped to NW Seattle, when I-5 is such a clear boundary that splits NW and NE Seattle into two, basically equally sized regions, seems totally absurd.

  12. Hi all. I know the entirety of Maple Leaf is not affected, but I hope folks east of Roosevelt can sympathize with our plight. How would you feel if your kids were being sent west of the freeway for middle school?! To a school that feeds into Ingraham High School, which is basically at 135th and Aurora?! Just because you may have gotten lucky with the new boundaries, doesn’t mean they make complete sense. I urge you to take a look at the new Olympic View boundaries in light of what’s best for everyone. We’d much appreciate your support — and would happily join your advocacy efforts for better crosswalks and traffic lights across 15th and across Roosevelt. Thanks for consider this.

  13. Actually, middle school boundaries are being revised as well as elementary. The current proposal has Maple Leaf split mostly between Eckstein and Wilson Pacific, but west of Roosevelt and north of about 100th will go to Jane Addams. High school changes are off in the future.

  14. @Steve

    I could be wrong but I don’t think that Maple Leaf people west of Roosevelt are upset about the boundary being moved west to Roosevelt. People west of Roosevelt are upset about what they are doing with the Middle and High School assignments. You are right they aren’t rezoning the middle and high school levels; they are however reassigning feeder schools for Middle and High School.
    I’m glad your happy that you’re still in the Eckstein Middle zone and (probably) the Nathan Hale middle zone, but those west of the boundary will be assigned to Wilson Pacific Middle and Ingraham High. I’m sure not how I feel about Wilson Pacific since it doesn’t exist yet, but I really don’t like the notion of being switched to Ingraham; it makes little sense to me. Even if you don’t have kids (I have 3) its worth voicing your opinion as it has potential property valuation effects.

  15. Heads up, they are looking at using geographic boundaries for middle schools like they do for high schools. Otherwise, there will be too many elementary schools feeding into Eckstein and not enough into JAMS. They will probably use the Nathan Hale – Roosevelt boundary of 85th.

  16. Please understand that there appears to be a group of Maple Leaf residents in favor of the new Seattle school boundaries and another group against. There is not a united Maple Leaf neighborhood in this case, so one side should not be given preference or unfair representation over the other. There are too many children living in Maple Leaf now for all of them to attend one school, so splitting the student population between the two Maple Leaf schools (Olympic View and Sacajawea) makes sense and is how it is currently done. Having Roosevelt Way be the east / west boundary also makes sense as it is a busy and dangerous arterial.

    I live just east of Roosevelt way and personally like that my children won’t have to cross Roosevelt Way to go to school at Olympic View as there have been several accidents at my street and Roosevelt Way in just the past month. Roosevelt Way is too busy of a street as a result of being a main arterial while also having cut through drivers coming from the Northgate mall area and Maple Leaf business district and Maple Leaf Park traffic merging on to it.

    On the other hand, 15th Ave NE is a main arterial with sidewalks and also has crosswalks near Sacajawea and doesn’t have any businesses on it in our neighborhood or as much of an issue with northgate mall and business traffic as Roosevelt Way. I feel it is safer for my children to cross 15th Ave NE to attend Sacajawea instead of having to cross Roosevelt Way to attend olympic view.

    The residents I’ve spoken with on the east side of Roosevelt Way in Maple Leaf like the new school boundaries and that their children will attend the smaller Sacajawea elementary (about 260 students) instead of the overcrowded Olympic View. This year Olympic View has around 500 students and had to add another teacher as they had 30 students per kindergarten class this year. Olympic View also had to add portables it is so overcrowded.

    People on the east side of Roosevelt Way also like that their children with attend Eckstein for middle school and either Roosevelt or Nathan Hale for high school (the high school boundaries are not currently being redrawn, only elementary and middle school boundaries)

  17. Its weird how Olympic View straddles the freeway. Maybe their thinking its that this area will be revised again once Wilson Pacific Elementary is up and running? Not sure its a good idea to shift Olympic View into the Ingraham High School feeder system. It’s farther away than Roosevelt & Nathan Hale and the opposite side of the freeway. Roosevelt is a mile closer to OV, Nathan Hale is a little over 1/2 mile closer. I made these observations on the survey, but it may help if others that feel this way do as well.

  18. My youngest is a senior and it looks like we would be in 98 (barely) I guess this isn’t exactly Maple Leaf but in those short years since she has been in public school it went from Northgate Elementary (we went to OV) to OV now Olympic Hills. Really?! There went my property value.

  19. Agree. I am actually ok with this. Maple Leaf kids are already going to different schools- We are a large area. The growth of our neighborhood must be dealt with somehow and the new lines seem logical. I understand that some Olympic View families may not like the change, but personally I support the new boundaries.

  20. I like that my children will now attend Sacajawea instead of Olympic view. Our neighborhood is already divided between Sacajawea, olympic view and green lake elementary as we have a large population of children in maple leaf, too large for just one school. On the new map they are moving a small slice of olympic view (the area east of Roosevelt way) to Sacajawea and students who live in maple leaf near lake city way will now attend olympic view or Sacajawea instead of green lake.

    I live between roosevelt way and 15th and like that my children will attend Sacajawea instead of olympic view as sacajawea is a smaller school that will consist of mostly maple leaf residents. I also feel that Roosevelt way is a sensible boundary as it is a busy and unsafe street to cross. There have been 3 accidents on roosevelt way and the street I live on in just the past few months that I have witnessed. Possibly more that I haven’t witnessed. I hope the new Sacajawea boundaries are approved

  21. We are in the south part of the hood and our oldest goes to Green Lake. The proposed plan would have our youngest going to a new school – kids are not guaranteed admission to older siblings’ schools – obviously far from an ideal situation. The proposed changes really sell Maple Leaf short in many ways, we need to be vocal about this!! Please fill out the SPS feedback survey. Also, send emails to growthboundaries@seattleschools.org.

    The survey deadline has been extended to Friday October 25th 6 PM.

    Also, Sherry Carr, our School Board rep, will have a community meeting on Sat Nov 9. It would be great to attend this meeting to share concerns with her before the final school board vote on the boundary changes on Nov 20.

    http://www.seattleschools.org/modules/cms/pages.phtml?sessionid=31ebcf4d9db6db2c7120d21662915fa4&pageid=191464&sessionid=31ebcf4d9db6db2c7120d21662915fa4

  22. This is ridiculous we are on 81st one house off of Roosevelt on the west side we can practically see Roosevelt from our home. No ! Stop treating our neighborhood as if we are blocks of concrete. You don!t even provide bus transportation for the high schools . There are no sidewalks and the busy Lake City street to cross. This is another bad ideal from people with no consideration for others safety or well being.

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