January 23rd School Meeting Synopsis

Hi Everyone,
This meeting was much more entertaining and intense; picketers and kids packing the meeting room with picket signs - and very well behaved as well!!! Our lovely School Board members brought in a "facilitator" to provide expert advice on how to muddle through this process. He recommended during the work study session, that the decision on Clark and boundary process be postponed, this would allow the Board to incorporate two more years worth of enrollment data with the boundary process. He even recommended that the Board split the process = elementary schools separate from secondary schools. At least the concept of minimizing the amount of splits a child experiences during his/her school years was reiterated last night.

In a nutshell, the Board motioned to build E-15; this is of course no surprise to us.

The clincher for our community: As it stands currently, the Board has decided to build E-15/keep 15 schools. The Highlands still represents a potential temporary "band-aid" to fill the school to capacity; which in turn places risk for the bisection of the Highlands. On February 6th, the Board will charter a committee to boundary 15 schools.

Question: If the Board decides to keep Clark opened, just how much longer can they operate it well below capacity?!?!?! Can the District's funds support under-enrolled Clark until the 2011 projected growth that will fill it? Are we the numbers that would fill Clark before the build-out dates?

Clarkie speakers challenged the need for E-15 and the feel the Plateau garners preferential treatment. Our resident, Sara Winnick, spoke in favor of E-15. Her speech had a more generalized approach in regards to the Highlands/Plateau congestion, and therefore less likely to get daggers thrown at her that night. A couple of us have decided to keep our speeches on the ready if we feel we need to more assertively remind the Board that they will indeed have a fight on their hands if they consider bisecting the Highlands a remote possibility....

Here is Sara's speech:

Issaquah Highlands Resident
School Board Meeting
January 23, 2008


I would like to take this opportunity to voice my support in favor of building E-15.

As a parent of a kindergarten student at Grand Ridge Elementary, and a resident of Issaquah Highlands, I, too, want the opportunity to continue going to my “neighborhood school.” I walk my children to school. Last week when it snowed, I pulled my preschooler on a sled while we walked his sister to her class. As a walker, I have the benefit of seeing my child’s teacher every school day. I connect with other parents. I am invested. This school is a large part of my community.

Years ago I was an educator. I remember interviewing for the position and being asked the question, “What ‘Best Practices’ do you use in your classroom?” You all know that in the teacher world, “Best Practices” are those things great teachers rely on to ensure the greatest success. I won’t bore you all with the details of my classroom. Instead, I urge you to think of the situation we are faced with on the Plateau.

We have a situation on the Plateau. Boundaries are re-written year after year with no long-term solution available, and schools are so crowded that currently kindergarten students living within the boundaries of Discovery Elementary are being bussed – past Discovery, past Sunny Hills, and into Klahanie where they will experience only their kindergarten year before returning to Discovery Elementary for first grade. How can we argue that this is a “Best Practice” for our school district?

The reality is the growth on the Plateau is not slowing as projected. Can we really put off building an elementary school on the Plateau any longer?

I want to speak for a minute about “neighborhood schools.” We already know the administration sees value in students going to school near their homes. I’ve already spoken about the impact going to a neighborhood school has had on us. Building E-15 would not only (hopefully) allow the Highlands elementary students to remain together, but it would provide the opportunity for more Issaquah School District students to attend a neighborhood school as well. Furthermore, the building of E-15 would alleviate current and inevitable future congestion, allowing students to remain at their school for what would ideally be the duration of their elementary years.

I hope you will consider this as you make your decision to build the new school on the Plateau.

Thank you.

Sara Winnick


In light of the latest decision, we feel it necessary to compile a rough draft petition, and then finalize it at a community meeting. Hopefully, we can get this meeting set up for next week. We already have a volunteer to coordinate the leg-work of the petition, and we just need to get a few more people willing to help us out with the signature collection process. We know that we will most likely not be able to present an effective petition by the 6th, but would like to have this wrapped up and on each Board Member's desks before the 20th (I think that's when the next meeting will be.....) or the next scheduled Board meeting. This would give the Board some time to "digest" the petition and have it open for discussion at the public portion of the meeting.

Please feel free to add your thoughts on this matter!
Thank You!!!!!
Leslie Warrick

Attention: School Board Meeting Wednesday, Jan. 23rd!!!!

To all who are in support of building E-15 = less congestion in all the Plateau schools, which in turn would likely keep our community together, please consider attending the upcoming School Board Meeting tomorrow evening.

A couple of people are expected to speak in support of building E-15, and in favor of keeping The Highlands intact. We hope you will attend and speak if you feel compelled.

Meeting Details Below:
Public School Board Meeting, January 23rd (Wednesday) at 7:00 PM (public input heard)
Public Work Study Session takes place right before from 6:00-7:00 PM (no public input heard at this time)
CLICK HERE for Directions to the Administration Building.

Thank you Everyone for your support!!!!
Leslie

Hello Everyone,

A few of us attended the School Board meeting on 1/9/07. It was a pretty dry meeting and nothing much was resolved. However, the Board has finally decided to make an actual vote on E-15 on 1/23. There is still some convoluted confusion about whether they plan to link the E-15 decision with the Clark issue. It sounded like some of the members would like to postpone that decision (operate 14 or 15 schools in Issaquah) until the first part of February.

Some key points from this meeting:

1. What has changed since the Bond Levy was passed? = the orginal numbers/dollars were not parcelled out in relation to specific geographical location of schools; they were based upon overall numbers of students in excess of the 14 school. The Board will be reviewing the numbers provided per the Administration again before 1/23.2. My question for the Board: Does the Hebert Report reflect true numbers of children in multiple housing situations? They seem to feel that as homes are finished in the Highlands-2011, and more apt. and condos built in the downtown area, there will be relatively few families moving into apartments, townhomes, and condos. I disagree, and know plenty of families that have chosen this school district and the Highlands' amenities in lieu of a large home with ample land. With the shifting housing market, this may come in to play even more by 2011, and thereby making the 2006 Hebert numbers even more incongruous. Issaquah needs to alleviate the congestion at Grand Ridge and the other Plateau schools, many of us feel E-15 is a viable solution.
2. One Board member felt that if Clark were to be closed, perhaps it would be more palatable to the overall community if the dollars saved (roughly 600,000/year)were applied to enrichment programs in all the other schools, such as a science/tech program similar to what Clark had.3. Sara spoke with Jan (School Board Member), and the Board is looking forward to hearing from us in the puplic sector of the meetings = we are now in the midst of preparing for a couple of speakers to represent us at the next Board meeting scheduled for 1/2
3. This meeting should yield much more helpful information! The Board will also participate in a "Principals' Meeting" from 5-6 that same day; I'm not sure if I could sit that many hours!
4. The Board will convene and then caravan around on 1/19 to visit the new site (E-15), etc..... Their findings will most likely be discussed during the work study session from 6-7pm on 1/23 = I will do my best to attend that portion. They would like it be clear that they plan to not have any "hidden" agendas this day, and have invited the puplic to tag along. Any takers :)....?
5. After I spoke with Sue McPeak (Principal at Clark), she stated that even though Administration still stands by their "preferred" plan (Close Clark/Build E-15), they do not have any idea what the Board will actually decide. This in turn means that we still need to be actively involved in this process!!!!! It's a bit tedious to keep hearing some of the Board members make comments referring to "pulling from the Highlands" as a possible solution to keep Clark opened.

Leslie Warrick
January 10, 2008 4:31 PM
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