LETTER: "We are facing a very real space crisis. Vote Yes", By School Board Directors, Jackie Pendergrass and Nancy Bernard.

Director Nancy Bernard
Kirkland resident

To the editor:

As members of the Lake Washington School District Board of Directors, we urge you to vote yes for the district’s levy measure. We are facing a very real space crisis. It’s just not possible to fit in hundreds more students into the system each year without some cost. With 600 more students this year and 450 more expected each year for at least the next five, we will run out of space by the fall of 2012.

This measure is not about the planned change in grade configuration to a four-year high school system. That change is being made for academic reasons.

It also helps us handle the space problem by moving sixth grade out of our already crowded elementary schools, schools that would be in a crisis without a change that brings us in line with most other school districts in the state and nation.

Pres. Jackie Pendergrass,
 Kirkland resident

 It is not about the school building modernization program, which was approved twice by voters, first in 1998 and then in 2006. That program ensures that our school district has buildings that are suited to the current educational program through a complete update every 30-40 years.



What this measure is about is adding classroom space at the high school level where we will desperately need it very soon. It is about making sure that Redmond and Eastlake High Schools have enough space for the students who enter their doors. An additional small secondary school will reduce those numbers so that those two schools don’t become too large. Because of the great interest locally and nationally in science, technology, engineering and math education, we will focus the curriculum on those subjects. This new school will be open to students from all over the district.

The Lake Washington School District works hard to provide an excellent education for our students, but we need your support. Please Vote yes for our students and mail your ballot by February 8. (The voter’s pamphlet is included in your ballot on the back of the instruction sheet.)

Sincerely,

Jackie Pendergrass, Director, District 1, Board President
Nancy Bernard, Director, District 3

REPUBLISHED: Dr. Kimball unveils plan to cope with severe overcrowding in LW schools

Superintendent Dr. Chip Kimball

 October 11, 2010 Regular Board Meeting (video)

REPUBLISHED from 10/11/2010 -  Jill, a mother of two with a daughter at Rockwell Elementary, testified to the School Board last night about "the horrors of overcrowding".  Jill was shocked when she learned the Rosa Parks Elementary population reached 700 this year and she fears it won't be long for Rockwell.  When she moved to the neighborhood 3.5 years ago Rockwell had 480 students.  Today it's 610, with new portables and few options for full-day Kindergarten.   

Based on Jill's testimony, the overcrowding problem in some elementary schools is real .  Data from the input sessions suggested that the District ask for money to deal with immediate overcrowding issues but "not over ask".  Superintendent Kimball and the Board agreed on the following proposal for the February, 2011 ballot.

• a $65.4 million, 6-year Levy to pay for new 250-student additions at Redmond High and Eastlake High AND to build nearby a 675 student "STEM" school for grades 6-12.   
• the Levy tax is 0.31/$1000 assessed property; or $155/year for a $500,000 house.  No financing or interest is applied. 
• the "STEM" school core curriculum  is "Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math" with a goal to incubate best practices for other schools.   STEM will cost $25 million with solid modular construction.
• Juanita High will "not be modernized right now" saving $135 million.
• Kimball's levy measure will cost taxpayers $190 million less than last year's bond which failed by 4%. The Levy only needs and 50% simple majority to pass.  Last year's bond required a 60% majority.
• Levy benefits:  no HS over 2,000.  no meg-high schools.  no double shifts.  no portables.  no excessive busing.  permanent classrooms, core gyms and cafeterias. keep space for computers and music.    

President Jackie Pendergrass said the STEM school should draw some grant money from outside sources. She suggested Microsoft and the Lake Washington School Foundation  as sources.  Board member Shahani was concerned about Juanita High age, but said the STEM school is needed to solve the space problem.  He likes the STEM "Choice" school concept.  Board member Bernard was pleased with the 1000 person survey turnout, no portables, possible federal grants, and no double-shift nightmares. She emphasized the new ventilation system at Juanita and the wonderful staff.  Board member Carlson said he favors "all Choice all the time" and asked to double the size of the STEM school to eliminate the two additions.  Kimball said this wasn't feasible.  READ MORE >>

Results from three community input sessions and a website survey were reviewed by Superintendent Kimball and the Board.   Parent and community participants (58%) recommended the District ask for money to deal with immediate overcrowding issues but "not over ask".   69% of the parents said "no not right now" to spending $135 Million on modernizing Juanita High School.  Juanita High was built in l971.  70% did not want to eliminate classrooms for music and computers.  All-day kindergartens received the most support for solving overcrowding.  70% gave a thumbs down on portables.  68% said yes to two new elementary schools in the next five years.  74% agreed to permanent classroom additions at Redmond and Eastlake High.  The statistical validity or significance of the survey was not discussed.

Reported by Bob Yoder
Republished:  1/23/2011
Source:  10/11/2010, Regular Board Meeting archives
Photo of Dr. Kimball from LWSD website
http://lwsd.org/

LETTER: Overcrowding at elementary schools may not be real, By Susan Wilkins

OVERCROWDING AT ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS MAY NOT BE REAL

LETTER:  As a parent of four students currently enrolled in the Lake Washington School District, I have had many years of volunteering and attending events at their various schools. Over the past decade, my children have attended Mann, Rockwell, Einstein and Rush Elementary Schools, as well as Redmond Junior High and Redmond Senior High. I have had the opportunity to observe day-to-day activities first-hand while volunteering and attending events at the schools. I voted for bond measures, EP&O and technology levies and I-728, the initiative that was passed to reduce class sizes in 2000.

We are now being asked to pass a $66 million dollar levy on February 8 to add additional space at Redmond High School and Eastlake High School and to build a new Science and Technology High School out on SR202 on the lot next to Alcott Elementary. The district has claimed through its mailings and speeches that we are almost out of space for students, that more students are arriving every year, and that soon we will be double shifting or transporting students long distances by bus. While some schools, such as Rosa Parks Elementary at Redmond Ridge and Alcott Elementary east of Redmond are extremely overcrowded, most of the schools in the district are overcrowded because of the way the district defines school capacity and not because there are too many students.

Let’s look at how the district determines whether a school is overcrowded. At each school, the facilities department counts all of the homeroom classrooms in the school and portables, and then multiplies that total by a set number of students per classroom. For elementary schools, the set number of students per classroom is 23. So for example, at Horace Mann Elementary, they have 17 classrooms and 17 x 23 = 391*. Enrollment at Horace Mann for the 2010-2011 school year is 483, so by the district’s definition, the school is very overcrowded.

LETTER: Plenty of extra space in existing Kirkland schools to house growing student population, By Paul Hall

LETTER:  The LWSD is running a levy in February to raise $65.4 million more than they need to house their growing student population. There is plenty of extra space in existing Kirkland schools to house this growth.

The district says it will consider using that space by rearranging attendance boundaries and bus schedules if the levy fails. They admit they already have enough money to provide more high school classrooms in Redmond and Sammamish. It’s unspent money we entrusted to them for modernizing 30 of our schools. So far they have torn down and replaced 21 of those schools instead of modernizing them. They intend to continue this practice for the remaining 8 schools. The district will consider using some of the unspent money to alleviate the housing shortage instead if the levy fails. The rest of the money would still be available for modernization of those 8 schools.

OPINION: Response to Hall on school modernization", By Kathryn Reith

OPINION:  In response to a recent letter: Paul Hall is correct that the school board could hold a hearing to determine if it should use money approved by voters in 2006 to do modernization projects and instead use it to provide additional secondary classroom space in Redmond and Sammamish. The schools remaining in the second phase of the modernization program are Muir, Sandburg, Keller, Rush, Bell elementary schools, International Community School and Rose Hill Junior High. Only Rush Elementary does not serve any Kirkland students. Mr. Hall proposes that the district take money for promised projects affecting Kirkland and instead provide more space in Redmond and Sammamish.

He incorrectly assumes that LWSD could have saved millions in its modernization program by not building any new buildings. The state recommends building new if the cost of a remodel is more than 40 percent of a new building. The projected life span for a new building is considerably longer than for a remodeled older building. The district’s threshold for determining if a new building would be more cost effective generally is if the remodel costs more than 80 percent of the cost of a new building, so our hurdle is twice as high. The district commissions a study that provides a cost estimate for new building versus remodel for each project. The board of directors votes on the plan for each building after receiving this information. We will post the information on the completed projects at www.lwsd.org so taxpayers can see how these decisions were made.

Kathryn Reith, LWSD

Source:  Kirkland Reporter,  12/28/2010

LETTER: Vote "Yes" on the Capital Projects Levy. 450 new students per year for next five years expected

LETTER:  On February 8th, Lake Washington School District will ask voters to approve a 65.4 million dollar capital projects levy to address critical needs for classroom space. This past fall, district enrollment grew by 600 students. Projections show an increase of 425 to 450 students per year for at least the next five years. Most of this growth is on the eastern side of the district in new developments, but other areas are also seeing a resurgence of young families.

The current levy measure, if passed, will pay for additions to both Eastlake and Redmond High Schools and the construction of a new specialized secondary school for grades 6-12 focusing on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). Combined, these additions will address the district’s immediate needs to reduce overcrowding.

Last year the district asked our supportive community to approve a bond of over 200 million dollars. They had hoped to take advantage of lower construction costs to address overcrowding for a longer term. Voters, stressed by the economic downturn, said, “No. This is too much right now.” But the additional students have not gone away and in two years, will exceed available space. This new, scaled-down levy targets only the most critical space needs. With construction time, the voters must act now to make sure there will be enough classrooms in two years.

As PTSA liaison to the levy committee, I am frequently asked, “How do I make someone with no students in the schools understand the importance of this levy?” We all enjoy healthy, vibrant communities. Quality schools are a priority for people moving to our area, drawing families who value education. When people want to move here, property values are retained and our cities remain desirable places to live. Healthy communities spawn and support business and strong businesses provide jobs. It is all part of an interdependent web, and at its core are quality schools.

A press release from the Seattle King County Realtors announcing its endorsement of the levy includes the following paragraph:

(Kristen) Greenlaw, a REALTOR with Windermere Real Estate Northeast in Kirkland, said good schools are a priority for prospective home buyers. “They’re often the first thing homebuyers ask us about,” she remarked. Schools unify and define communities, she noted, adding, “Good schools are essential for preserving the value of family homes. They are critical for economic vitality and job creation. But most important, quality schools are crucial to the futures of the students in the Lake Washington School District.

By Wendy DeLong
PTSA liaison and volunteer coordinator for the Lake WA Citizens’ Levy Committee
Member of the Lake WA PTSA Council Board of Directors for 10 years
Past president of the Lake WA PTSA Council (2007-2009)

Re-published: State Budget Cuts Hit Lake Washington School District

Superintendant Chip Kimball

District has about $1.7 million less than planned
Re-published 12/14/2010 LWSD Press Release

Redmond, Wash. – The state legislature held a special session on Saturday, December 11th, to address the more than $1 billion state budget shortfall. Budget reductions approved in that session will cut state education funding to Lake Washington School District (LWSD) by an estimated $1.7 million in the middle of the school year.

The district’s financial approach has been very conservative over the past several years. Not only have cuts been made but long-term financial planning has resulted in reserves that can now help weather this storm. These efforts have resulted in reserves in excess of the five percent of general fund revenue required by the Board of Directors. Dr. Chip Kimball, superintendent, stated that the district will use these excess reserves to cover this unexpected mid-year reduction in state revenue.

Dr. Kimball clears up four misconceptions on the Feb. 8 Capital Projects Levy

Superintendent Chip Kimball clarified four misconceptions he's heard on the proposed Levy that's floating around the community -  in his January 10 report to the School Board.  The six-year, $65.4 million levy would cost each district property owner an average of $13 month.  The four community misconceptions recently asked of Dr. Kimball are:

1. "When voting on this levy, are we voting for a high school class reconfiguration to 9-12?"  The short answer from Dr. Kimball is NO.  (for details, "Read More")
2. "If the levy doesn't pass, will we still go to 9-12 in high schools?"  The short answer from Dr. Kimball is: "unequivocally, YES".  
3. "Does this levy reflect an over abundance of investments by LWSD in the eastern part of the district?" Dr. Kimball's summary answer is:  "the investment of this particular levy is really about one thing and one thing only...it's about creating space where the families exist in order to relieve overcrowding".  It's not about East vs. West; it's not about investment in one part of the district or the other,"  (for details, "Read More")
4. "If the levy doesn't pass will the district go to 'double-shifting'; and what is double-shifting".  Dr. Kimball said double-shifting is when half the students go to school in the morning (6am-1pm) and half go to school in the afternoon (1:30pm -7pm).  Dr. Kimball said "there is no way to guarantee it one way of the other...however a real possibility of double-shifting exists should the levy not pass."  (for details, "Read More"

If the levy doesn't pass Dr. Kimball says the district is left with three options:  1) double-shifting, 2) change school boudaries and bus across the district, and 3) "re-purpose" monies approved by voters in 2006 to take it away from the western portion of the district.

Dr. Kimball concluded "my job is to provide the facts".  The school board is authorized to sell and promote the levy to their constituents.

President Jackie Pendergrass was the only Board member commenting on the levy following Dr. Kimball's report.   Pendergrass said the "LW levy committee will have two mailings and is doing phone calling." (Last election Pendergrass headed up the levy committee). She said the levy committee website and district website has lot of information, so it's not necessary "to ask the board for information".  Jackie did not say if board members are writing Letters to media outlets or making other efforts to promote levy passage. 

Ballots will be sent out January 19, so look for them in the mail this coming week.  The deadline to vote is Tuesday, February 8, midnight.

Reported by Bob Yoder
Source:  Regular school board meeting, 1/10/2011

Click READ MORE >>  for details from Dr. Kimball and Pres. Pendergrass

Bond issues alone wouldn't solve LWSD growth problems:

Local News Growth forces Lake Washington School District to shuffle students Seattle Times Newspaper:

"The district will likely try to pass another bond issue or a levy to accommodate the growth, but wants to have public forums, most likely this fall, to figure out what type of ballot measure is most likely to win support, Reith said.

And a bond issue wouldn't solve the underlying problem: that the junior highs and high schools in the west end have low enrollments, while the east-end schools are crowded.

The district receives impact fees from developers when new homes go up, but those fees account for less than half the amount the district needs to build new schools for the students who will move into those houses, Reith said.

For example, the developers of Redmond Ridge, in unincorporated King County, must pay the district $7,040 for each new home they build, Reith said. But the district estimates it would need to collect almost $20,000 for each new home to make up for the cost of constructing a new school to accommodate the development's students.

Read Complete Article

Katherine Long: 206-464-2219 or klong@seattletimes.com. News researcher Gene Balk contributed to this report."

PTA mom tours Juanita High School infrastructure - gives startling report

LETTER:  Voters in the Lake Washington School District now have the opportunity to pass a bond that would modernize Juanita High School three years ahead of schedule.

Curious about the needs of the school and having some experience in assessing school infrastructures, I recently toured Juanita HS in the company of Associate Principal Timothy Hupperten and Head Custodian Les Richey.  I immediately observed that the staff and students at Juanita keep their hallways, bathrooms, cafeteria, and classrooms clean and free of graffiti.

Further along, I saw that the facilities are way too small for the growing needs of the students. Everywhere I visited, I saw that teachers and students have been very resourceful in making good use of tight space.
But most important of all, I realized that Juanita High School has serious deficiencies in many essential operating systems, including those for heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, electrical, and plumbing. And the roof leaks.  For example: 

• Even though five portables are in daily use, classrooms are still crowded, averaging 32 students per class with little space for storage, computer stations, or small group meetings.

• The limited science labs were built with lab benches meant for six groups of four students (24 student capacity). The hands-on experience of 32 students in the chemistry class is limited in this setting.

• The school’s electrical capacity is limited. Teachers curb their use of electrical devices to avoid blowing fuses. Students have lost their computer work when overloaded circuits popped.

• The school would clearly like to increase its technology capacity. But adding new wiring means drilling through the thick concrete pad that supports the building to access the underground wiring system.

• The girls do not have enough bathrooms. Over 500 girls rely on just 13 toilets in the girls’ two main bathrooms, only one of which is wheelchair-accessible.

• The roof is flat. Despite repeated repairs, water perennially pools on the roof and leaks into Juanita’s classrooms, hallways, library, theater, gymnasium, locker rooms and offices, causing expensive damage.

• The gas-powered boiler is too small to properly heat a building that has 18-foot tall ceilings. Not all HVAC ducts properly align with the classrooms. As a result, some classrooms are always too hot in the warm months, and too cold in the winter.

These are costly problems that no amount of elbow-grease and can-do spirit can solve. They affect the education of our children in very profound ways. Our children deserve better. I dearly love the Juanita HS community. Although I don’t have children at the school, I am a Juanita PTA member and have attended many sporting events, plays, and graduation ceremonies. I can personally attest to the spirit, pride and warmth that the students, teachers, principal, building staff and parents all feel about their school.

So, I voted YES for the bond and hope you do the same.  Will you?

By Barb Billinghurst
Kirkland, WA.

Fast Facts on 2010 Levy and Bond Measures.

Editorial: Three smart reasons to vote YES on L.W. School District levy and bond measures.

Vote YES on Lake Washington School District levies/bond!

Editorial:  I'm going to vote YES for the school levies and bond this election because it's the smart thing to do.   Schools are a great investment for our neighborhoods.  We know that!

But, let's not lose sight that local businesses count on our schools for a vibrant, educated labor pool.  "Being future ready " is more than about leaving town for college.  Many students find their future right here, working for local businesses after graduation.

I have personal and financial reasons for supporting the levy and bond measures:

1) My daughter received a first class education (K-12) that prepared her for college.  Her life was enriched by a long list of  inspiring teachers, outside school activities, and friendships.  I've always felt my kid was safe at school.

2) Even though my only child is graduating this year, I still look at the additional $170/year tax tab as a good  investment.  Why?  If we don’t fund all three measures, the school system will lose the equivalent of  612 teachers, 30-year roofs and buildings will deteriorate and classrooms will overflow from the 1200 new students expected by 2014.  We can expect no bail-out from the State - actually less from them!

3) If we let our schools go down the tube, so go the neighborhoods and our home values. I see the $170/year payment as "property value insurance protection."  Without it, my home and largest asset may never fully bounce off this bottom.

Will you be voting Tuesday, Februrary 9?    Please Vote YES on all three LWSD funding measures!

By Bob Yoder

Voter information about the District Levies and Bond is here.

Anatomy of the LW School Board's parliamentary process

Below, is a record of how the LW School Board voted on three funding resolutions for the 2/9/2009
election.   I recorded their decision-making process from the archive video-tape of the meeting, as follows:

After about 25 minutes of general discussion by the Board and Superindendent the voting process started, as follows".  (Nancy, Chris, Jackie, and Doug are School Board Directors). 

Nancy:  Did Doug move?  Do you want to get it on the table?

Jackie:  Yeh, we can have a motion to approve, if you'd like.

Doug:  I'll move adoption of .... do we want to have these as a package?

Nancy:  I'm fine with a package.   (is this supposed to be the second to the motion?)

Jackie:  I'm fine with all three.  (the three resolutions?  which ones?  they weren't read).

Doug:  All right, I'll move we adopt all three, but I want to amend that so that we give staff the authority to:  1) deal with the issue that Chris raised, that if there's any flexibility of formatting the ballot we give that, and 2) we give flexibility to insert the appropriate name of the entity that's actually going to be conducting the election.

Jackie:  So we have a motion and a Second. 
(We do?  Was the Second named?  Did the motion identify the resolutions for the public and record?)

No vote was taken.  Discussion ensued.

Twelve minutes passed before a second motion, by Pres. Pendergrass, was put on the table: 

Jackie:  "I'll entertain, aahh... we have a motion and a second  (Doug questions the second)...
Jackie:  Yes, Nancy seconded. 
The motion is to:

allow changes in language that need to be appropriate for the......whatever the elections are called these days....and then to check on the ballot measures to make sure that they look as consistent with one another that is possible.

Jackie:  With that, all those in favor say Aye (four Ayes) - any opposed? (*silence).  Our work is cut out for us over the next few months".

Again, the measures were not read prior to the vote.  My point, is how can the viewing public be expected to know what's going on in this vote?  And, if the resolutions were never read by a Director, then how can they be voted on?   

*Director Ravi Shahani did not attend the meeting.  His district is in the Education Hill area.

Part One:  The public is left scratching their heads after the School Board funding vote.

Updated, 12/8: The public is left scratching their heads trying to figure the School Board's funding vote.

The School Board in a semi-monthly Public Work Study Session with the Administration

OPINION:  Updated 12/8:   I spent over 3 hours this weekend  watching the video of the LWSD School Board's, 11/23 Regular Meeting.  They were voting to approve the Superintendent's levy/bond funding measures

In review, I noticed what appears to be several errors and omissions in the voting process.  I brought this to the attention of the Administration and the School Board.

My observations:   The Board's Motion, Second and Vote to approve Resolutions 2044 (levy),  2045 (levy), and 2046 (bond) was incomplete.  At minute 26 of the video, Director Eglington made a motion to approve "the package of three measures." He didn't read the measures aloud or hand them to the Chair.  Director Bernard's Second was question.

The only Board vote was 12 minutes later (38 min) after Pendergrass motioned to allowed for changes and consistency in language.  Bernard's "Second" was questioned. (for the second time)

If you want to see the 11/23 meeting video for yourself?  GO HERE .  Advance the video to 26-27min. and to 37min to see watch the motions.  The one vote taken had the shape of an  'amendment' allowing for changes in language. (37min.) 

I am not a lawyer, but in my brief research of  Robert's Rules of Order (RRO) I noticed the following  shaky parliamentary procedures.

1) A Director never "read the resolution(s) and handed it over to the Chair." (RRO)  Nor did a Director or the Chair read the resolutions or resolution numbers.  How does the public know what was voted on?

2) "The agenda and all committee reports are merely recommendations" (RRO), as is the Superintendent's report and so they can't substitute for reading the resolution.

3)  The final Motion (by the Chair) and seconded by (Bernard?) was "to allow changes" (amendments).  The Chair never read the resolutions or referred to them other than as "ballot measures".

4)  The Chair didn't declare, "The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted" (PPO). The resolutions were never identified or read.

This voting appeared  loosey-goosey, disorganized and lacking common sense parliamentary process. Yet, the District's attorney says it's legal.  Of course.   Scrutiny of the tapes show the LWSD School Board parliamentary process is problematic.

Why do I care so much?  I honor and respect the Board's service. But, the Board's current voting process leaves anyone viewing the vote (especially, without the resolutions) confused about "what was going on."  Voting on $300M measures is serious business and the public should expect it's done right, so it's understandable and appropriately recorded for the record.
 
What do you think?  Wendy, you too. What's right about the School Board's process?  Will you listen to the tapes?   Dr. Kimball's comments and the District legal counsel's argument are beyond capacity of this blog platform.  

11/23/09 meeting video tape.

by Bob Yoder

PS. No need to download "Silverlite" to view the video.  I don't recommend it.

LWSD Administration's published proposal omits $124 in taxes /house.

"The total of all three measures would increase the total tax paid on a home with the average assessed value in the district from $1444 in 2010 to $1606 in 2011."

-- LWSD Superintendent's levy/bond proposal to the School Board.  

What the District doesn't tell you in their press release is that additional taxes totaling $124/house will be assessed over the next three years.  $47 (2012), $41 (2013), $36 (2014). 

Opinion by Bob Yoder