Tonight, the Seattle Public Schools Board unanimously approved the final changes to the new school boundaries. With regard to Wallingford and Green Lake, the final amendment–moving the northern boundary of McDonald School from 57th back up to 60th street passed, but the second part of that amendment—moving McDonald’s boundary from Northeast Ravenna Place to Northeast 61st Street was eliminated.
Furthermore, the request for families living in between North 45th and North 50th to be placed into the John Stanford attendance area was not included as an amendment. Director Carr commented that, “The boundary in question really started at John Stanford being at North 45th. Staff looked at the numbers and made the decision to move the boundary up to North 46th, allowing some of the neighbors to be included in the John Stanford footprint. Two other distinct groups I’ve heard from extensively are folks living on the west side of Wallingford who wanted to remain in that boundary, and then the existing parents who have emphasized their deep desire to grandfather siblings. If we expanded to North 50th that would leave only 16 open seats. In my judgment that’s pretty risky, as I believe that eliminates much of the opportunity to grandfather siblings. Secondly, it really shuts the door to opportunity for those living outside the area to benefit from language immersion. I believe that an increase in the attendance area would become unsustainable very quickly.” Director Carr also added that the current plan “will stabilize enrollment in our schools”, and in the case of John Stanford, the new boundaries will leave an opening of 83 seats.
Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson called the new Student Assignment Plan a “monumental task” adding that, “on the surface, it probably seems easy, especially to families, because they’re talking about their neighborhood and their schools.” During the meeting, she acknowledged the individual staff members who played a crucial role in developing the new plan, including Enrollment and Planning Manager Tracy Libros, who was on-hand to answer specific questions concerning each district’s proposed boundaries and enrollment figures.
Tonight’s vote also included the approved motion to re-open the McDonald School. The building’s renovation would be included in the new 270 million dollar levy, slated for public vote on February 9, 2010.