Staff photo/Ian Gleadle
The Northshore School District School Board will consider closing Woodin Elementary.

Other elementaries could be impacted

The Northshore School District School Board will consider closing Woodin Elementary.

The school, located at 12950 N.E. 195th Street, Bothell, has about 452 students and roughly 60 full- and part-time teachers and staff. The board will make a final decision about the closure in May.

“My sense is that the community was taken by surprise,” said School Board President Cathy Swanson. “If the community goes online (http://schoolcenter.nsd.org/education/components/docmgr/default.php?sectiondetailid=45420&fileitem=41668&catfilter=9174) and looks at all of the eight criteria the district considered – all eight of them – they will understand the rationale for why Woodin Elementary was picked. It’s been a really, really hard decision.

“I think the Wellington community is feeling very anxious, too. It is also loved by the people who go there. It is the closest school to Woodin. (Therefore, some Wellington students might have to move to another school to make room for Woodin students). It’s a hard, sad thing to do. It does cause a lot of anxiety and a feeling of loss of control. I feel for the community.”

Woodin Elementary Principal Jill Crivello said in a phone conversation that she received hundreds of e-mails, all positive, expressing appreciation for the school and its programs and sadness for its recommended closing.

“This is a tight-knit, strong, emotionally healthy school community,” said Crivello. “Folks are responding in positive ways. They’re asking, ‘How can I help?’ ‘Do we simply accept the closure?’ ‘Do we try to create new fond memories before the school closes?’ ‘Do we storm the school board and let them know what we think?’ ‘What can we do to make the kids feel good?’ What can we do to make the staff feel good? ‘How do we move to a new place and connect with a new community?’ Actually, it’s quite wonderful in a sort of odd way.”

She said principals from almost every school just showed up Feb. 13 to help talk with parents and students about the possible closure. Other district staff was also available to help Woodin students and staff process the news.

“Flowers were sent,” said Crivello. “Food was brought in. It was a wonderful surprise. We felt the love. Staff felt well-supported.”

There is a lot of disappointment and concern, she said, about the possibility of the school’s Dual Language Program being split between two schools. Almost half of the school’s population participates in the program, which integrates English language learners and English-speaking students. Classes are taught using both English and Spanish.

“There is a strong desire to move the program to one school,” said Crivello.

She said the afternoon of the 13th, 15 leaders in the Spanish-speaking community were sitting around a conference table at Woodin Elementary, drafting a letter about the proposed closure.

“They are planning to go to the school board and talk,” said Crivello. “(The prospect of Woodin Elementary closing) is a scary thought for them. It took a lot of outreach for them to understand that we wanted them here, that we valued them.”

A report prepared by two demographers and others under the direction of the district’s Executive Director of Support Services Dan Vaught concluded that Woodin Elementary would be the most logical school to close. Woodin is the oldest of eight elementary schools in the Woodinville service area that were considered for closure. It has significant ingress and egress restrictions. It is on a small site that would limit reconfiguration. It would likely be very expensive to renovate. Access the link previously mentioned to read all of the analysis.

“We are going to be okay,” said Crivello. “We are very sad. It’s an emotional thing. We are excellent teachers. We are strong families. I see this as an opportunity for another community to be culturally enriched by this amazing Woodin community.”

In a letter to Woodin Elementary families, Principal Crivello wrote, “This is difficult and emotional news for many in our school community. I hope, however, that the desire for the school board to be responsible decision makers and fiscal managers will help you understand the need for a school closure. Class size and the quality of programs that Northshore offers can only be supported if funds are spent on instructional programs rather than building infrastructures.”

She plans to meet with parents to discuss the recommended closure at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27, in the Woodin library. She suggests parents read the analysis that led to the proposed closure before the meeting. Again, access the previously mentioned link. Copies of the analysis are also available at the school office.

School boundary lines

If the closure happens, it will trigger school boundary adjustments. Since no single school has the capacity to absorb all of the students from Woodin Elementary, school boundaries across the Woodinville service area will have to be changed to distribute students equitably. This means over 700 elementary students could change schools. Students attending Woodin will likely be split between Wellington Elementary and Hollywood Hill Elementary. Proposed boundary changes should be available in mid-April.

“The thing that most people are reacting to is that other schools are going to be affected by the closure,” said Northshore’s Director of Communications Susan Stoltzfus. “Some will be asked to move to another school. By mid-April, we will know what the proposed boundary changes will be. That leaves two months for them to speculate. The uncertainty is unnerving. Unfortunately, people don’t know how to react until they know what the boundary changes will be.”

How to provide input?

The school board will accept comments about the proposed closure and boundary line changes up until it makes a final decision in May. Send input to budget@nsd.org. Members of the board will receive copies of all e-mails.

How to learn more?

Parents are encouraged to attend one of the upcoming public information meetings to find out more about the school closure recommendation, how boundary lines are drawn, and other proposed budget reductions for next year. ? ?

• Canyon Park Junior High cafeteria: Thursday, Feb. 28, 7-8:30 p.m., Canyon Park Jr. High cafeteria, 23723 23rd Ave. S.E., Bothell
• Leota Junior High cafeteria: Wednesday, March 5, 7-8:30 p.m., Leota Jr. High cafeteria, 19301 168th Ave. N.E., Woodinville
• Kenmore Junior High cafeteria: Tuesday, March 11, 7-8:30 p.m., Kenmore Jr. High cafeteria, 20323 66th Ave. N.E., Kenmore.

Why the cuts?

Northshore has been dealing with budget shortfalls for the last six years. Three more years of shortfalls are on the horizon.

District officials say enrollments have been declining in the Woodinville service area for several years. Since state funding is tied to enrollments, state funding is declining too.

Additionally, the budget suffers from rising costs for things such as fuel, utilities, supplies and healthcare. Moreover, the district receives unfunded mandates. Last year, 24 of them cost the district an estimated $17 million.

Other proposed cuts

The district estimates it will save $700,000 a year by closing an elementary school, but budget cuts won’t end there. The school board will also consider approximately $2.7 million in additional reductions. They include the following:

• Eliminating 13 central office / support services positions,
• Reducing building support staff,
• Eliminating seven elementary certificated staff,
• Consolidating administration for Home School Networks and Secondary Academy for Success,
• Reducing offerings and increasing fees for junior high sports,
• Reducing non-employee costs,
• Defining standards and increasing efficiencies in heating, lighting and air conditioning,
• Eliminating Home School Networks enrichment program,
• Reducing the curriculum adoption budget by 50 percent,
• Increasing fees for Camp Casey,
• Closing the large Woodmoor pool, and
• Increasing fees for elementary band and orchestra.

Other recommendations

The staff report that analyzed the option of closing a school made other recommendations parents should know about. They are as follows:

• Relocate the Woodin Elementary Dual Language Program to Wellington and possibly Hollywood Hill.
• Re-purpose the Woodin site for other district programs such as Secondary Academy for Success and Home School Network.
• Consider closing another school if revenues continue to decrease as a result of sustained enrollment declines.
  
• Evaluate the implications of changing the existing grade configuration at elementaries, junior highs, and the high school in the Woodinville feeder pattern.