John Stanford Capacity Update

The Board of Directors for Seattle Public Schools will meet tomorrow night at 6pm to discuss the new Student Assignment Plan Transition Plan for 2012-13. If you read the Board’s proposal (which you can view here), you won’t find any mention of placing portables on the John Stanford campus, but you will find language that supports the boundary changes below. (Click on the graphic for a larger view).

If you read the comments from our last update, where we discussed the proposed addition of portables at John Stanford, you’ll find a comment from our District representative, Sherry Carr, that reads, “I’m not convinced the proposed solution is the best answer – even for one year and will work with the staff and parents to find a stronger one.” So it seems, at least for now, that the idea of portables at John Stanford is off the table.

The proposal also contains the following language with regard to “Grandfathering Non-Attendance Area Siblings”:

Staff will continue to use available strategies to accommodate non-attendance area K siblings to the extent feasible, but families should understand that, in most schools, space will be extremely limited for assignment of non-attendance area K students to older siblings’ schools.

However, to assure families that elementary grade siblings will not be required to attend different schools, transition rules provide that:

• If the incoming K student applies only for the older sibling’s school during Open Enrollment and is assigned to the designated attendance area school instead, the older sibling will be assigned to that school upon request (as long as the services the student needs are available at that school).
• If the older student has been assigned to a school to access required special education or ELL services not available at the designated attendance area school, the transition rule of reassigning the older sibling to the designated attendance area school with the younger sibling is not possible. 
• If the incoming K student applies just for the older sibling’s school, and if the special education or ELL services the older student needs are not available at the designated school, the incoming K student will be assigned to the older sibling’s school upon request. 

These transition rules will be applied only if specifically requested by the family after Open Enrollment through September 30. Standard transportation rules apply.

Tomorrow night’s meeting is open to the public but be forewarned: the New Student Assignment Plan Transition Plan is one of many agenda items. Still, if you’re up for making the trek, the meeting will be held in the auditorium of the John Stanford Center, 2445 – 3rd Ave S. The School Board will put the New Student Assignment Plan Transition Plan to vote on January 18.