Seattle Schools board president Michael DeBell will speak tomorrow night about the progress the district is making on its reassignment plan, a plan that would ultimately put an end to students choosing to attend any of the district's 10 comprehensive high schools.
The meeting will take place at 7 p.m., Thursday, April 23 at Lawton Elementary School at 4000 27th Ave. W.
The reassignment plan will likely be as contentious as the district's efforts to close various schools, in that parents and students have various reasons for wanting to go to specific schools, according to Kelly Charlton, a Queen Anne resident and whose son attends Coe Elementary and whose daughter will attend the school this September.
"The board is looking at going back to a neighborhood school model," Charlton said. "Every resident will have a base assignment for elementary, middle and high school."
That means if a child lives in western Magnolia, he or she would likely attend Ballard High School.
But Ballard is currently at capacity whereas schools in the south end such as Rainier Beach, has just 450 students and has room for 800 more. The school board is looking to find that balance and has been reaching out to the community to get feedback from parents and students.
Queen Anne and Magnolia is the only district cluster without a high school, and that has not been lost on Charlton or other parents he has spoken with.
The state of Washington requires that new schools must have a minimum of 10 acres, hard to come by in Seattle. But Interbay has been mentioned, as there are already athletic fields in place. Charlton and other parents have also thought about Seattle Center, where the district currently owns nine acres.
The center's Century 21 plan doesn't include building a high school, but Charlton said the school owns the deed to the land, and so development plans still lie with the school. "Century 21 is a good idea, but show me the money," he said.[[In-content Ad]]
