BELLEVUE, Wash. — In KING 5's continued coverage of the Bellevue School District's plan to close and consolidate three elementary schools - requests for comment have been sent to Gov. Jay Inslee and Washington state representatives who serve the potentially impacted neighborhoods.
Currently, the district has identified seven elementary schools with "declining enrollment" that are under consideration for the consolidation plan.
The seven BSD elementary schools under consideration for the plan include Ardmore, Eastgate, Enatai, Phantom Lake, Sherwood Forest, Woodridge, and Wilburton
Parents in the district expect a recommendation on the three selected schools to be announced during the Feb. 9 school board meeting.
KING 5 received the official statement from Gov. Jay Inslee's office on this school district matter.
While the governor cannot comment specifically or subjectivelly on the BSD consolidation plan because his office deems it "a local matter," spokesperson Jim Kopriva said the following: "Many districts are indeed confronting reduced enrollment and locally-elected school boards are tasked to determine how to manage that. But even if head counts are down, state K-12 investments are up. The governor's recent budget proposals (2022, 2023) have supported student nutrition, emotional health, and curriculum and teacher compensation and recruitment. This year the governor has proposed spending an additional $3 billion in K-12 investment to support educator compensation, special ed and educator workforce initiatives."
Although the BSD is citing both declining enrollment and funding concerns as the main reasons for the consolidation proposal - senior communications associate for the governor, Jim Kopriva, said, "It is safe to say that state funding is no catalyst to consolidation. State investments in K-12 are increasing, not decreasing."
A spokesperson for Rep. Vandana Slatter (D-48th District) said an official statement is forthcoming but currently, she is "actively working with the school district to communicate parental concerns her office has received."
"I particularly empathize with students, families, educators, and the community built around these very local, close-knit neighborhoods with their elementary schools. Truly, this is the essential ingredient to much success for the Bellevue School District. Unfortunately, declining enrollment is an issue that won’t be going away anytime soon. During the global pandemic, we worked with school districts and our federal partners to issue funding via the Elementary & Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER). These funds were distributed statewide based on Title 1 allocations. Where those funds fell short, the legislature invested billions of dollars to stabilize funding at pre-pandemic enrollment levels," said Rep. My-Linh Thai (D-41st District), who is a former Bellevue School Board Director, in a statement.
In addition, Rep. Thai laid out three areas of impact in her response to KING 5. To read her full response, scroll down.
KING 5 is awaiting a response several other state legislators.
During the week of Jan. 23, the district hosted listening sessions and open houses at each of the seven schools in question.
In addition to speaking at listening sessions, some parents are outlining their concerns and are sending group letters to the BSD.
One of the latest group letters from parents to the district has an online option for parents to also sign their names. It asks for access to the data the district is using to make its decision, an explanation of district policy as it relates to closures and more transparency.
Sean Hill, a Phantom Lake Elementary father of two, read the above letter out loud at one of the school board meetings where families were given the chance to voice concerns.
"We're given, you know, two minutes here or there to express our opinion and that is supposed to be the citizens involvement part of this process," Hill said. "So, I don't think it was possible for the school district to organize this process in a faster way that would exclude the involvement of the citizens any more than they are doing."
KING 5 asked the BSD again why the process appears to be "speedy" to the public.
"Much of the funding from the state will be gone after this year, we are looking avoid spending money out of reserves and continue spending wisely and being in good financial shape as a district," said Janine Thorn, a spokesperson for the BSD. "We are looking at all possibilities and making the best decision for students, the district’s financial health, and staff."
While the BSD said it has not yet fully decided on how "reorganization" will look when three elementary schools are chosen for consolidation - it said there are several possibilities. Any unused buildings will be repurposed for instructional purposes and more definitive plans will be made at a later time, according to the district.
Waiting and watching on the sidelines, Phantom Lake Elementary dad Sean Hill said his family is currently renting and has the option to move. He said other families do not have that option.
"I know other people who are in tears because they bought houses, and because they wanted to be in this neighborhood," Hill said. "They just put their life savings to buy a house and they're crushed about this concept. It is a disaster to pull out the schools that are the center of our neighborhood."
Several parents have reached out to KING 5 about how each of the seven elementary schools were chosen besides the BSD's report on enrollment decline.
One school in question is Wilburton Elementary which was opened in the district just five years ago.
The planning for Wilburton started in 2014, according to the BSD in a response to KING 5.
"It took four years to complete the process of planning, permitting and building. At that time Enatai, Clyde Hill and Woodridge were all overcrowded and districtwide we were close to 20,000 students – 2017-2018 school year." said Janine Thorn, a BSD spokesperson. "Enrollment continued to increase throughout the district, until the pandemic. When the pandemic hit, significant environment factors were at play, immigration, increase in housing prices, and lower birthrates which all changed our enrollment outlook. It was unclear as to whether the decline would be temporary or permanent until we reopen schools to see the impact of the pandemic which just occurred last fall."
When it comes to the potentially impacted BSD workforce - district said it is" too early to provide specific information."
The district said it will work with labor unions under current agreements to make placements.
Rep. Thai's full statement:
“When I first heard about the proposed school closures, my heart sank. I particularly empathize with students, families, educators, and the community built around these very local, close-knit neighborhoods with their elementary schools. Truly, this is the essential ingredient to much success for the Bellevue School District.
As a former school board director for Bellevue School District, I see this consolidation as the result of multiple issues we are facing as a state and nation. I think it’s important to approach this issue systematically because parents, school districts, and the state all want the same thing: an education system that is fully staffed, funded and meets the needs of children and families.
First, declining enrollment has been exacerbated by a lack of affordable housing in the school district. New developments don’t cater to families, so when a school district lacks a stable and affordable environment for children to grow in, enrollment stability will decrease.
Second, our community is highly dependent upon the tech industry. Workers who have moved to our community on an H1B visa are leaving due to widespread layoffs. That means hundreds of families are returning to their country of origin. We need to have a broader discussion at the federal level on immigration policy reform because these families are integral to our community and school system.
Third, a lack of affordable childcare and healthcare, growth in wages and purchasing power, and an overall lack of affordability in goods is causing many Washingtonians to reconsider starting a family. The result is a declining birth rate and fewer children in our schools. As early as 2018, Bellevue Schools had data forecasting flat enrollment rates. This was before the pandemic and confluence of these systemic issues.
Unfortunately, declining enrollment is an issue that won’t be going away anytime soon. During the global pandemic, we worked with school districts and our federal partners to issue funding via the Elementary & Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER). These funds were distributed statewide based on Title 1 allocations. Where those funds fell short, the legislature invested billions of dollars to stabilize funding at pre-pandemic enrollment levels.
Looking to the future, this is a national issue that will take time to address. It is crucial for parents and schools to work together with local leaders to understand how local issues are causing this problem. Only then can we find solutions that are best for them and their families. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to work together to address this issue. If we don’t, we risk losing schools, teachers, and an important part of our community. I pledge to be a part of these conversations, listen to the community, and work to support them at a state level.”