For the past two years, we have been reading about the Seattle School District's need to close schools to save money. I don't disagree with that; Seattle Public Schools have too many buildings supporting too few students.
The district, however, does not have an "overcapacity" situation in all neighborhoods. In fact, right here in Magnolia and Queen Anne, we have a shortage of school space that desperately needs correcting. So, in my mind, it is also time to open a school.
I'm talking about the need for a high school in the Magnolia/Queen Anne area.
Since the opening of the new Ballard High School, and the commensurate increase in the popularity of that school, students in our area have been largely excluded from being able to attend their closest high school. This is because Ballard fills up before the distance tiebreaker gets to our area. As a consequence, our students are shuttled to Ingraham, Franklin, Cleveland or even West Seattle.
Many parents and students find these options unacceptable, and either move out of our area or attend private schools. In fact, Magnolia/Queen Anne have the fewest high school students, 46 percent (as a percent of the total), attending Seattle Public Schools of any area in the city.
So how do we rectify this situation at a time when the district is in financial difficulty? Obviously, construction of a new high school is out of the question. It would take $70 million to $100 million, and even if the voters approved such an expenditure, it would be eight to 10 years before any new building could be built and opened.
No, we need to come up with imaginative ideas that can be done for minimal cost, can be done soon and which would have the support of both the district and the community. Let me propose a possible solution.
1. Reopen Magnolia Elementary as a K-5 school
2. Convert Blaine into a middle school. It was originally built for that purpose.
3. Convert McClure Middle School to a high school and rename it Queen Anne High School.
The pros of this plan are many: It can be done for little cost. It reoccupies a vacant building. It reconnects thousands of alumni. It takes the pressure off Ballard High School. It creates a community school which is very much needed, and it can be done in a short period of time.
It would also re-attract students who have left the district or who are contemplating leaving the district. Every 100 students added to the district brings in $1 million. So, if enough students returned to the district, such a move could be self-funding.
The cons are numerous, too, but may be worth the effort. It removes the K-8 configuration at Blaine; some families are very supportive of that configuration, and this would be a loss. Nevertheless, even today, many of Blaine's elementary families are not staying at Blaine for their middle school years. They want more resources and a wider curriculum selection than can be provided in a school with only two classes/grade. Salmon Bay, in Ballard, offers a nearby K-8 alternative for those who prefer that configuration.
It also removes McClure as a middle school. Much work and effort, by administrators, teachers and parents, has gone into making McClure an attractive school. However, the building is ideally suited for a high school, as are the surrounding fields. Because of its location, it also offers the opportunity to rename it Queen Anne High School. Moreover, all of their hard work would not be lost if the faculty and staff moved to Blaine.
No idea is without controversy or without hurting someone or something, but for the greater good, this proposal seems to me to meet the need, and does so quickly and economically. It's something to think about.
Don Nielsen is former president of the Seattle School Board[[In-content Ad]]
