Strategies for space: addressing overcrowding in Lake Washington School District
In elementary schools around the district this September, the scramble was on to find enough classroom space for all the students arriving through our doors. About 650 more students showed up than last year, exceeding increased enrollment projections. By the fall of 2012, there will be over 1,000 more students in our system than our classrooms can accommodate. The move to four-year high schools in the fall of 2012 actually helps the situation, by moving students out of our overcrowded elementary schools and into the high school level, where more space is available.
Strategies to handle the increased numbers of students include changing boundaries, running two shifts at high schools (morning and afternoon), adding portables, building new classrooms and building new schools. "Read More" to learn about the community input sessions and read the Sammamish Reporter exclusive.
This just in! Sammamish Reporter Editor Jake Lynch reports, "Voters Reject School District Bond - time now for their children to pay the cost."
Your input is needed!
Please attend one of three input workshops to give the district your preferences and advice for meeting these space needs. Come in any time during the hours scheduled to get information, ask questions, take the survey and make comments.
Overcrowding input session schedule:
Tuesday, September 28, Eastlake High School, 6-8 p.m.
Thursday, September 30, Juanita High School, 6-8 p.m.
Wednesday, October 6, L.E. Scarr Resource Center, Redmond Town Center, 5:00-7:30 p.m.
Excerpt from 9/15/2011 LWSD "Connections" newsletter
Posted by Yoder
Wait a minute! For the past 10 years the school district has been collecting Impact Fees (RCW 82.02.050-110) for each new house or condo built in the district. That money was supposed to be used to provide additional school space for new students who moved into the new neighborhoods. In the past decade at least 2000 new homes have been built just on Education Hill. The developers were required to pay a school impact fee of about $3,000 per house. That money was supposed to be put into a special account and was to be spent only on additional school space. (Read the RCW!) Redmond Junior High, Redmond High School and Mann Elementary were torn down and rebuilt but those construction projects were funded through bond measures that voters approved. The new Horace Mann actually has FEWER classrooms than the old building had (including portables).
ReplyDeleteMany new students have moved in and exactly one portable was added at Norman Rockwell. Why didn’t the district plan for all the new students? What happened to the impact fees? Maybe the district needs an independent audit to figure out where the money went…...and now the district is blaming the overcrowding on voters who didn’t approve the bond measure last February.
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ReplyDeleteSend to Redmondblog@gmail.com