LETTER: Let me set the record straight on the Redmond Reporter article from two years go. That article was written when the district was seeking public input into the bond measure to be put on the ballot in February 2010. As a result of that public input, funding for a new school for Redmond Ridge East was part of the measure. The measure failed: had it been passed by voters, we might have been celebrating the opening of a new Redmond Ridge East Elementary School.
My comments concerning possible solutions “to ease overcrowding at elementary schools” was a general list of possible solutions for overcrowding at any elementary school. It was not a list of solutions under consideration for Rosa Parks Elementary School: a second elementary school on Redmond Ridge was under consideration for Rosa Parks.
The actions the district has taken over the last two years regarding Rosa Parks Elementary School are:
· Ran a bond measure that would have built a new school in Redmond Ridge East. Voters did not approve the measure.
· Completed a grade reconfiguration program that moved an entire grade out of all elementary schools, including Rosa Parks. That move also opened up space at Wilder Elementary that was not available last year.
· Added portable classrooms to meet increasing need.
· Added staff and budget to handle the increasing numbers.
There have been significantly more children per household enrolled in the school than the average development in our district. That factored into an enrollment this year about 80 students higher than projected. That higher than expected growth has outstripped the district’s efforts. As a result, we have committed to working with the community to develop a plan for the fall of 2013-14.
Kathryn Reith
Communications Director, Lake Washington School District
In Response to Nancy Shen's LETTER: http://redmondcity.blogspot.com/2012/09/letter-lwsd-administration-sought.html
My comments concerning possible solutions “to ease overcrowding at elementary schools” was a general list of possible solutions for overcrowding at any elementary school. It was not a list of solutions under consideration for Rosa Parks Elementary School: a second elementary school on Redmond Ridge was under consideration for Rosa Parks.
The actions the district has taken over the last two years regarding Rosa Parks Elementary School are:
· Ran a bond measure that would have built a new school in Redmond Ridge East. Voters did not approve the measure.
· Completed a grade reconfiguration program that moved an entire grade out of all elementary schools, including Rosa Parks. That move also opened up space at Wilder Elementary that was not available last year.
· Added portable classrooms to meet increasing need.
· Added staff and budget to handle the increasing numbers.
There have been significantly more children per household enrolled in the school than the average development in our district. That factored into an enrollment this year about 80 students higher than projected. That higher than expected growth has outstripped the district’s efforts. As a result, we have committed to working with the community to develop a plan for the fall of 2013-14.
Kathryn Reith
Communications Director, Lake Washington School District
In Response to Nancy Shen's LETTER: http://redmondcity.blogspot.com/2012/09/letter-lwsd-administration-sought.html
It sounds like the district has pursued the bare-minimum action on the overcrowding issue at Rosa Parks for a number of years. It's really missing the point for the district to ask itself, How can we get by with having 800 kids at one school, versus, how can we act now to manage growth and improve the learning environment for all?
ReplyDeleteRegarding the February 2010 ballot failure that would have funded a new elementary in Redmond Ridge East, the struggling economy certainly played a role. However, the district also opted to save pennies by not including critical explanatory information in the voters' pamphlet ... a short-sighted move for which today's students at Rosa Parks are paying dearly.
It seems the district should stop making excuses, accept responsibility, and provide a quality learning environment for ALL students within its bounds. Postponing the issue for several years has obviously served no one. Pointing fingers at third parties such as the developer or King County is also unproductive.
Whatever happened to the district vision of "Every Student Future Ready" (except for students at Rosa Parks)?!
I feel that I must point out some inaccuracies in LWSD Communications Director Kathryn Reith's letter in response to my posting about the overcrowding at Rosa Parks.
ReplyDeleteThe article I was referring to was published on September 22, 2010 in the Redmond Reporter. Ms. Reith's letter in response stated that the Redmond reporter article was written when the district was seeking public input into the bond measure to be put on the ballot in February of 2010.
This response is incorrect because the Redmond reporter article was written more than 6 months after the bond levy was struck down by voters.
Therefore it is clear that the school district has not taken enough action in the last 2 years to address the overcrowding at Rosa Parks. The grade reconfiguration only delayed the population at rosa parks from reaching over 900 students this year. This move certainly helped many other schools in the district, but hardly helped Rosa Parks.
The only action the school district has taken in the last 2 years is to add additional portable classrooms and staff.