Lake Washington School District jumps from sixth to fourth largest district in state in one year

Rapid enrollment growth continues, increases need for classroom space

Redmond, Wash. – Lake Washington School District’s enrollment grew by 1,114 students last year, from 26,716 students in 2014 to 27,830 on October 1, 2015.   The enrollment increase this year moved Lake Washington from sixth largest district in the state to fourth largest. Lake Washington passed both Evergreen School District and Kent School District. It trails only Seattle, Spokane and Tacoma School Districts in size.

                This year’s increase follows five straight years of enrollment increases. The increases averaged about 625 students per year, or the size of a large elementary school. This upward trend began in the 2009-10 school year after a decade of little change in enrollment.

               Part of the increase from 2014, about 339 students, is due to a change in the accounting process for students who are enrolled in the Washington Network for Innovative Careers (WANIC). WANIC is a skills center serving seven districts. It offers advanced level Career and Technical Education programs. As the host district, LWSD is now required to count these students in its enrollment. Excluding WANIC and the district’s Parent Partnership Program, the district’s actual enrollment was seven students less than the projection used for budgeting purposes.

                Enrollment growth is forecasted to continue. The district is projected to grow to more than 30,000 students by 2020-21.

                “As our cities grow, so does our enrollment,” noted Dr. Traci Pierce, superintendent. “We are fortunate to serve vibrant, attractive communities where people want to live and work. With this growth comes the challenge to provide classroom space to so many additional students.”

                A community task force has worked since December 2014 to develop recommendations for long-term strategies the district can use to address the challenges of additional classroom capacity as well as aging schools. This task force is in the process of finalizing its recommendations. It is expected to present them to the district’s Board of Directors in November.

School District Comparison – October Headcount Enrollment 2015-16 and 2014-15

District	15-16	Rank	14-15	Rank	Gain (Loss)
Seattle	52,324	1	52,060	1	264
Spokane	30,166	2	30,179	2	(13)
Tacoma	28,305	3	28,420	3	(115)
Lake Washington	27,830	4	26,716	6	1,114
Kent	26,516	5	26,723	5	(207)
Evergreen	26,396	6	26,870	4	(474)

$74 Million dollar apartment sale near Microsoft sets a record for downtown Redmond

This eye-opening article was published in the Puget Sound Business Journal on November 2 by Marc Stiles.

 $74M apartment sale near Microsoft sets a record for downtown Redmond

A reader informs me this apartment complex is right across the street from the brick ThinkSpace office building in Downtown Redmond.  If you have any interest in Redmond's rapid downtown growth this is a must read.

Bob Yoder

Aegis at Marymoor presents events on Dementia

Aegis at Marymoor proudly presents three upcoming events in November.  All events are free.  Refreshments will be served.  RSVP’s are greatly appreciated.  Please call 425-497-0900 orMarymoor.concierge@aegisliving.com.  All events are located at Aegis at Marymoor:  4585 W Lake Sammamish Parkway NE Redmond, WA  98052.

How to Speak Alzheimer’s

Wednesday, November 4^th  6 pm

Learn how to effectively communicate and relate to your loved one with memory loss.  Communications coach, Judy Wadsworth, will teach us techniques through stories of real life experiences of working with older adults with mild to severe memory impairment.

Mixing Dementia with the Holidays

Saturday, November 7^th at 10 am

When a family member has dementia, it is important for a little extra planning in order for each person to experience the holidays in a positive light.  Kathy Stewart, RN, will share practical tips regarding how to spend meaningful time together, traveling ,communication, and more.

Dementia Prevention & Treatment – The Role of Nutrition & Exercise

Tuesday November 17^th at 6 pm

Dr. Angela Hanson, MD, of the UW Medicine Memory & Brain Wellness Center at Harborview Medical Center will discuss the latest research on healthy eating and physical activity as it relates to dementia prevention and treatment.

LETTER: Lake Washington School District Director gives the Facts on the District's facility planning process

While Susan Wilkins is entitled to her opinions concerning the Lake Washington School District’s facilities planning, I would like to provide corrections to a number of misstatements in her various letters and comments posted here.

Fact: There is no district proposal concerning Evergreen Middle School at this time, as Ms. Wilkins states. The Long-Term Facilities Planning Task Force is recommending a set of projects, including one that would modernize Evergreen Middle School. These recommendations would meet the district’s needs through the 2029-30 school year, or the next 14 years. Specific funding measures and final project lists are still to be determined.

Fact: The Long Term Facilities Planning Task Force proposes an addition to Redmond High School OR a small Choice High School to serve the Redmond and Eastlake Learning Communities at a site to be determined. An addition to Redmond High is not the only proposal, as Ms. Wilkins states.
Read More >>

Brightmont Academy is offering a new rocketry club for all middle and high school students

Brightmont Academy is offering a new rocketry club for middle and high school students, including LWSD students. Students will build skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics as they learn how to design, build and fly a rocket. The Brightmont team will compete in the Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC), the world's largest student rocket contest.

Who: Middle and High School students. (including LWSD students). Team Advisor will be David Stenberg.

What: TARC club

Where: Brightmont Academy Redmond Campus, 7345 164th Ave NE, Ste I-135 Redmond, WA 98052. Rocket testing at Marymoor Park.

When: November 2015-April 2015; Tentative meeting dates are: 11/7, 11/21, 12/5, 12/19, 1/9, 1/23, 2/6, 2/20, 3/5, 3/19

Cost: $900 per student. A $200 non-refundable enrollment fee applies for first-time Brightmont students.

Students who are interested should contact Campus Director Sheila Harrison by November 6th at redmond@brightmontacademy.com or (425) 373-0800. Read More>>

A Trip Through "Now & Then" with Seattle Times" team of Dorpat and Sherrard -- Redmond Historical Society Speaker forum

A Trip Through ‘Now & Then’ with Seattle Times’ team of Dorpat and Sherrard

It’s a Sunday morning ritual for many in the Puget Sound: attack The Seattle Times by first hunting for Pacific NW magazine and then going directly to the back where another “Now & Then” photo essay appears courtesy of Paul Dorpat and Jean Sherrard.

Fans will get a chance to hear directly from the dynamic duo of Puget Sound’s visual history when they bring their perspectives to the Redmond Historical Society Saturday Speaker Series on Nov. 14, from 10.30-noon at the Old Redmond Schoolhouse Community Center.

Dorpat’s been doing the weekly column since 1982 – with some 1,500 articles published since then – and in 2004 teamed up with Sherrard, a local photographer, actor, writer and high school teacher.

The team uses the photos for a bigger purpose. “We like to tell stories,” Dorpat says, promising that for the Saturday Speaker Series “we will no doubt include some Eastside subjects, but we will also roam the state.”  The program is titled “Now & Then: From Redmond to La Push.” Read More >>

LETTER: Funding Sources for Redmond's Downtown Park

The Downtown Park has been brought up in numerous discussions this year, during the park levy and now the mayoral election.  I think there is a misconception that Redmond taxpayers are bearing the burden of funding this park, and that downtown developers and new residents are getting a free ride.  Quite the contrary. Developer Impact Fees are projected to cover 45% of the park’s cost, while Redmond taxpayers through the general fund would be responsible for approximate 15% of the funding.  The following is a breakdown of the funding sources for the Downtown Park.

Funding Source for Downtown Park	% of Total
Developer Impact Fees	45.0%
Business Tax	19.5%
General Fund – Redmond Tax Payers	14.2%
Real Estate Excise Tax (REET)	9.7%
WA State Grant	7.9%
Rental Income/Fees from previous tenants	2.9%
King County Parks Levy	0.5%
Interest Earnings on Allocated Funds	0.3%
Total	100%

By John Stilin, Redmond City Councilmember

UPDATED: Redmond resident urges Council to vote against Initiative 1366 and quotes some alarming statistics about Redmond's low voter turnout

During last night's City Council Special Meeting on Initiative I 1366 a longtime Redmond resident Andrew Villeneuve spoke up against I-1366 in "Items from the Audience".  He specifically asked Council to vote on a Resolution to oppose I -1366 concerning state taxes and fees. His argument against I-1366 is here. After robust conversation, Council voted 5-2 (Myers and Carson) to oppose I-1366.  Myers and Carson believe the public is smart enough to decide how to vote without guidance from the government.

Mr. Villeneuve's presentation included some alarming statistics about "the abysmal turnout" to date in this year's election, as follows:

• Of the 28,168 registered voters in Redmond only 2542 ballots have been returned as of last night -- that represents a 9% voter turnout in Redmond so far.  
• Another way to look at it: "91% of Redmond's registered voters have yet to vote in this election"
• Fewer than 10% of the voters in King County have returned ballots in King County.

Attention Redmond Registered Voters!  Please take a few minutes out of your day to vote and mail your ballots.  Ballots must be returned by November 3. In case you didn't know, a drive-through Ballot Drop Box is located at City Hall for you convenience. No stamps required.  

Bob Yoder  

Opposing opinions on the traffic in Redmond

COMMENTARY:  The 'rechanneliztion' project on 166th is a complete fiasco, and the incompetents responsible for it should be fired, with the salary budget thus saved earmarked for undoing the damage they have wrought. 
The total failure of traffic planners to come up with solutions to improve the flow of north-south traffic on Willows, RedWood, or Avondale has turned 116th St/172nd Ave/111th St/166th Ave into an arterial, and the clumsy efforts made by Redmond's traffic planning department have made matters much worse. Traffic now backs up all the way from 80th to 104th after work, and the brain-dead placement of islands next to bus stops merely proves that the designers were clueless. 
In terms of any conceivable metric of utilization per unit area, the bicycle lanes on 166th are unjustifiable, and should be removed immediately, along with the islands. 
Bicyclists are Redmond's most ridiculously overserved minority, and a rigorous study to free up the space wasted on empty bike lanes elsewhere is long overdue--we may have once been the 'Bicycle Capital of the Northwest', but that was before we became the undisputed tacky downtown apartment complex capital of the region.
Someone with more sense than the current traffic department needs to look at the irrational and inconsistent speed limits on our streets--111th, with zero driveways or houses facing it has a limit of 25, while 51st, with driveways, has a 35 mph limit--higher than 166th or Redmond Way.

Anonymnous
Source:  recent comment published on a blog post dated 2/14/2011



OPPOSING OPINION, 2/14/2011
http://redmondcity.blogspot.com/2011/06/opinion-sidewalks-on-166th-ave-are.html

LETTER: Protecting Redmond's Streams and Groundwater Supply

PROTECTING REDMOND'S STREAMS AND GROUNDWATER SUPPLY

Over the years, I have tried to participate in Redmond's planning and development

process by commenting on projects, especially those that affect the environment.  I have

been concerned about water quality issues that affect our local streams and our

underground aquifer.  The city of Redmond has 5 wells that have a 1.8 BILLION gallon

annual water right. Two wells are located at Anderson Park. One is near Redmond City

Hall. Another is along Avondale Road and the most productive, Well No. 5, is on the

corner between Target and Home Depot.

In 2003, I participated in the writing and adoption of the Wellhead Protection

Ordinance that was meant to keep our drinking water supply clean and safe from

contamination. I attended meetings, made comments on the proposed ordinance and

testified at the public hearing. The Wellhead Protection Ordinance prohibited the storage

of hazardous material and fluids near wells.

I was shocked in 2009 when I read that Costco would be building a warehouse on

the old Redmond Delta gravel pit along 188th Avenue NE south of Union Hill Road and

that it would have a HUGE gas station.  READ MORE >>

Editor's Notice: Revised Mission Statement and Editing policy of this Blog

ATTENTION READERS AND VISITORS:

Mission Statement and Editing Policy:

UPDATED:  The "Redmond Blog" reports news and opinion of local governments, organizations and neighborhoods so that they can be more responsive and "in touch" with each other.  You are invited to send me your news, submit a Letter or write a COMMENT below a post. They are usually published. COMMENTS are moderated and publishing them may be delayed.  

Please send your Letters, opinions, stories and news by email to: redmondblog@gmail.com    Thanks for participating!

The HEADER PAGES at the top of this blog were edited today.

Bob Yoder

Steve Fields Restates His Viewpoint About Downtown Developers

UPDATED:  Steve Fields has received strong criticism and in some cases insult from a few supporters of Mr. Marchione's campaign.  This has been evident in Facebook social media, a few Letters to the Editor of the Redmond Reporter and a Letter sent to me by a Downtown developer.   

As a supporter and volunteer for Steve Fields I want to share some recent correspondence with Steve that answers criticism and misunderstandings about his views of downtown developers, as follows:  

And I quote Mr. Fields:  "I have never said and never would say anything against any group or person. What I have said is the city government listens more to developers then they do people in the community. And as a result the outcomes are not very good. My complaint is with the city government. Not any developer. We need balance. And I think that would be better for whoever develops and builds in our city as well. Their reputation would be enhanced."

Please visit https://electstevefields.com for more information about Mr. Field's vision for our city.  

Opinion by Bob Yoder

UPDATED: Thoughts from an engaged citizen about LWSD's facility plan and land acquisition strategy

COMMENTARY (by Susan Wilkins):  I agree that building a middle school at Redmond Ridge is a good idea since many students live nearby and they could walk to school.  The issue is that the district already has Evergreen Middle School (EMS) that those students can attend.  If the district's plan were to build the new middle school at Redmond Ridge and get rid of EMS, that would make sense, but the district's proposal is to tear down and rebuild EMS with space for 1000 students and that means that students who live in downtown Redmond and on the east side of Education Hill will be bussed out to EMS.  Evergreen is 3 miles outside the city limits on Union Hill Road. I live near Hartman Park and my entire neighborhood would likely be zoned for EMS.  The trade-off is that Redmond Ridge will get a "walkable" school and my neighborhood will be bussed to far-away EMS.  I don't think this is a reasonable solution.  Read More>>

LETTER: Why I'm Voting for the challengers in the School Board election

    I have been part of the Long Term Facilities Task Force since last December. It was run by an Associate Superintendent who acts as the Director of Facilities for the District.  I question her knowledge about facilities planning.  Our "experienced" school board has let her run the district's facilities planning for the past decade.  

    The plan that the task force was guided into proposing is nearly identical to the Feb 11, 2014 bond measure that failed.  It's just displayed in the planning table in a different order.  The task force will be presenting it to the board at the October 26 study session.  It is estimated to cost $775,000,000 - $900,000,000.

    The new plan will be horrible for Redmond.  It will add 400 more students to RHS. It will build a new middle school at Redmond Ridge - meaning that all current Evergreen students will be sent to the new Redmond Ridge Middle School. This means that 1000 middle school students from inside Redmond will be sent out to Evergreen.  So Redmond El, Horace Mann-east of Hartman Park, Einstein, parts of Rockwell and probably McAuliffe in Sammamish will be feeder schools for Evergreen. This is nuts.  

    During the Task Force meetings we were never allowed to discuss whether it was a good idea to build the new middle school at Redmond Ridge - the Assoc. Superintendent's response was, "We haven't yet decided where the new middle school will go."  She's inaccurate.  I did a public records request and it is clear that the new middle school will go at Redmond Ridge.

    The current Long Term Facilities plan is unsatisfactory because we have a school board that is asleep at the wheel.  If we vote our current board back into office, we will have nobody to blame but ourselves for the results.

By Susan Wilkins

Fall Membership Meeting for Lacrosse Players -- November 5

YouthGrades K-12

Join us at our Fall Membership Lacrosse meeting* to:

Learn about the Club and the upcoming 2016 Spring Season

Meet other players and parents

Enjoy refreshments

*Thursday November 5, 7:30-9pm

Lake Washington School District Headquarters

16250 NE 74th St, Redmond, WA 98052

Read More >>

OneRedmond Evolves to Meet the Needs of Business

By Dr. Eric Scroggins, Board President, OneRedmond  

Coming out of the great recession it was clear that Redmond’s business organizations were not meeting the needs of its members or supporting the health of the local and regional economy. Like all businesses at the time, the Chamber of Commerce, Realize Redmond and the Redmond Economic Development Alliance were all struggling to find a direction and financial footing.    

In response to the very real challenges they faced, the three organizations with the partnership of the City of Redmond merged, incorporated and funded a new public/private partnership to lead business growth in the region.  OneRedmond was charged to do four simple things: 1) support our existing businesses, large and small, and their growth; 2) recruit new businesses to the community to diversify the economic base; 3) promote arts and events to enhance the vibrancy of our downtowns, and 4) work with the City to ensure that we are the most competitive area for business investment.  Read More >>

Great news from the Redmond PD. They nailed a prolific car prowler and burglar.

Submitted By Brian Hansford.
=========================================

We wanted to pass along news that after a careful and thorough investigation, Redmond Police arrested a man on October 13th for offenses related to six different Redmond cases and one King County case. Redmond officers also recovered a firearm that we suspect he stole during an alleged car prowl in King County.

The man is suspected of committing multiple car prowls in our community and was charged on Oct 16th with 2nd Degree Vehicle Prowling on four counts. He has also been charged with several other crimes, including theft and unlawful possession of a firearm, identity theft 2nd degree, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of stolen property 3rd degree. He is currently being held at King County Jail.

Thank you for being patient as we work these types of cases. Our officers work each case very hard and it takes time to comb through different files and process evidence, especially when cases overlap. Our local businesses were great about supplying surveillance footage and our officers coordinated well with each other, and handled some delicate interviews to complete this particular investigation.

More importantly, thank you for locking up vehicles and reporting suspicious behavior. It has made an impact!

Becky Range, Public Information Officer

UPDATED: Musings on the Elected's and Public's participation in affairs of our city

I  try to watch every Council meeting, will occasionally critique the Elected on my blog and send links of these posts by email to mayorcouncil@redmond.gov so they know "I'm not talking behind their back"; but most of all they can hopefully learn from what I've observed. Councilman Hank Myers labels me a gadfly because I have been doing this for years.  He values the gadfly role and on several occasions has thanked me.  Hank recently told me he reads my blog; I have a good relationship with him. Recently Councilmember Kim Allen thanked me on Facebook for being "a facilitator over all the years."  I value my relationship with Hank and Kim.  .

Other than Councilmembers John Stilin, David Carson, Hank and Kim I can't recall any other Councilmember giving me feedback on this blog. Though, once a long time ago President Hank Margeson told me he read it. The Mayor has appeared to ignore me over the many years I've been reporting.  He finally surfaced this week by email. Other than asking me for minor edits on a post, his email was less than encouraging to put it mildly. I think my main problem in communicating with John Marchione is he hates public scrutiny and only wants to hear constructive criticism behind closed doors. It's certainly not because I haven't emailed him on various issues over the years. My impression is the Mayor is too busy with regional and downtown matters to listen to the residential community. Some of his supporters say John always responds to emails. This has not been the case for me.      .

Our elected persistently ask (if not beg) the public for participation and feedback on the affairs of the city.  Marchione said in the mayoral debate he tries to reach out to the community with televised Council and Commissioner meetings, the Focus magazine, the city website and visits to the elementary schools.  John should be giving even more attention to the neighborhoods, especially with "the town turned upside down" from rapid development. He is weak on Public Outreach and rarely listens to the residents and for that sole reason I'm voting for Fields. Otherwise, I think he's a good city administrator and leader.   I do appreciate the one or two times he held a coffee at the Senior Center long ago,

John Stilin holds a coffee at Soulfood every Tuesday at 3 pm. Mr. Stilin,, Ms. Allen are members of the "Education Hill of Redmond" Facebook Group and at times participate.  Mr Myers is working with Ms. Allen to hold Q&A "listening sessions" in the neighborhoods. Councilmember Tom Flynn recently wrote an excellent piece in the Redmond Reporter. Of course our elected are getting copious feedback from the community with this election. For this, we should thank Steve Fields.

As stated, I've chosen to participate in the affairs of the city with my blog.  Like 99% of my neighbors I find it intimidating and usually  non productive to go to City Hall Council Meetings and participate.  Most of my neighbors don't even know the meetings exist or are televised. If they did watch a Council meeting many would probably find them scripted, stale, boring and above the level of the people.

However, this week's Council meeting was a breakthrough moment especially for the Mayor--it appears he's listened.  I've never heard him participate so much at a business meeting -- nor the Council so active and skillful in inviting him into the conversation. The Ombudsman Report was lively and broad. The dais was humming.  I only pray this will not be a one-time event.  You can see for yourselves by tuning into Comcast RCTV channel 21 on Tuesday nights at 7:30 pm. Or watch the meeting online here.

Opinion by Bob Yoder

OPINION: The PTSA School Board Forum was illuminating -- Watch it here before you vote!

Here's the LWSD School Board video.    http://www.lwptsa.net/school-board-candidate-forum/.

I went into the Forum leaning towards the challengers because I felt the incumbents were in there long enough and were going no where with passing the Bonds.  

I left the Forum deciding to vote for the incumbents -- Jackie Pendergrass and Chris Carlson.  Please watch the Forum and decide for yourselves.

If it makes any difference to you, Chris Carlson was endorsed by the Seattle Times.

I almost decided to vote for Tepper.  I liked his refreshing delivery, passion for passing the bond and commitment to the District.  I just found him hyper-focused on the Bond issue.  I really did like his answer to:  "should the Administration have a CFO"?  Carlson harshly dismissed it with humor.  Tepper nailed it with a strong argument for transparency. Posthumous is no CFO.  If she is, the Admin. should give her the title.  I found Chris Carlson wordy but he demonstrated greater substance on all the issues of the District.  

It was a shame President Pendergrass couldn't be there for the Forum.  But I found her challenger's responses were way too brief and shallow.  Even though Eric Laliberte is the Chair of Kirkland's Planning Commission he appeared too green for the school board job.  

Opinion by Bob Yoder

The Mayoral Debate is posted here on UTube. Watch it here!

For those who's schedules aren't flexible enough to watch the Mayoral debate on RCTV,  I'm providing the UTube  mayoral debate HERE

I've listened and I'm voting for Steve Fields.  Watch the debate and decide for yourselves.

For those of you who don't know, there is a convenient drive-through Ballot Drop Box at Redmond City Hall.  No stamps needed.

Bob Yoder

 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WTbndDpkpkI&feature=youtu.be

The Mayoral Debate will be televised on Channel 21 and on UTube. It was fascinating!

The Mayoral debate last night was extremely interesting and engaging.  It was the ultimate of "community outreaches" except for the councilmembers not being on stage. (though I did see Councilmembers Allen, Stillin, Flynn, and Shutz there and enjoyed an excellent talk with Kim Allen).

Though it's too bad it took a debate to finally get the Mayor to visit and engage with the neighborhoods, his participation was helpful in understanding how he runs the city. Steve Fields performance was excellent, and a breath of fresh air that has been so desperately needed!  He has a world of wisdom. There is much we can learn from him.  He is sincere and an incredible hard working, intelligent challenger.  Our city is so fortunate to have Steve in the race. It's my belief he won the debate though the good news is you can decide for yourselves if you missed it.

The Redmond Reporter was there and we can look forward to their reporting this Friday.  But what is really exciting is the city taped the debate and it will be shown on TV (Channel 21) at the following times:

Fridays at 8pm, Saturday and Sunday at noon, Monday at noon, Tuesday &Wednesday at 2pm and Thursday at 5pm.

I also just heard that the city will be posting a video of the debate on YOUTUBE by end of business, Friday

Please, please, please try to find some time to view the debate to be better informed when you vote. You will find it's worth every minute!

Opinion by Bob Yoder