The Lake Washington School District’s new Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) School will open in the fall of 2012 in temporary quarters at Eastlake High School. Its permanent building, to be located next to Alcott Elementary School in Redmond, will not be ready in time for the opening of school. Delays in required permits have pushed back the expected completion date of the first phase of construction of the STEM School building to late fall or early winter.
Eastlake High School's capacity with increase to 1840 students to account for the reconfiguration next fall, a new classroom wing and other building additions. The Renaissance School will move to protable classrooms.
Based on current projections, the school will be able to accommodate the two grades (9th and 10th) the STEM School will serve in its first year. “I am disappointed that this new school will be in temporary quarters for a while,” noted Dr. Chip Kimball, superintendent, “but we are fortunate that Eastlake will be able to host it this fall. In future years, Eastlake will need that space.” Read More >>
This decision was made after extensive research into alternatives. The facilities department worked with commercial Realtors, looking into retail, warehouse and office space. Unfortunately, owners of spaces large enough to house the school could not accommodate a short-term lease. The cost of renovating those spaces into classrooms, especially science classrooms, was prohibitive for such a temporary use.
The district also contacted neighboring school districts and the Lake Washington Institute of Technology to determine if classroom space was available elsewhere. Those inquiries were not successful. A third option was determining where space was available in schools within the district. That review showed Eastlake as the site that would be able to house the school temporarily.
Two appeals were denied last week to the conditional use permit approved by King County for the district to build the school. The delays which has lasted for months is the reason why the school will not be built in time. There is still a 21-day waiting period in which those citizens can go to court to ask for an injunction. We cannot begin construction until that period is over. After the 21-day waiting period, the district will be able to move forward with construction if there are no more legal challenges.
The project will be built in three phases, with the first phase providing classroom space for the 9th and 10th grade students who will be the inaugural classes in the new school. “I know the Eastlake staff, students and parents will be gracious hosts for their STEM school counterparts during this short-term stay,” noted Dr. Kimball. “I recognize the inconvenience involved and appreciate their understanding.”
Students attending the STEM who live outside the Eastlake High School area will have bus transportation available to them from their home high school to Eastlake and back.
Source: Kathryn Reith, LWSD
I sure hope the STEM school will prove to be a good idea, but I'm increasingly concerned..... I mourn the brain drain at RHS, with top teachers already leaving to lead the new school. And in the future we can assume many of the top students will go that way as well. I prefer to think the best instruction should be spread throughout the district, not focused at this new location. There are sooo many kids who won't find this passion until they have worked with teachers like Mr Town or the others who will forever be lost to Redmond High. Since students have to commit to the STEM program before taking these classes, those with multiple interests/ strengths will never get to experience the excitement of discovering their passion in a field they'd never thought of before! Ultimately that is a loss for our kids, and that is really a shame.
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