BREAKING NEWS :

Black River High School and the horticulture program have had their last classes. Bulldozers aren’t far from the school doors, but parents are still fighting to keep the school open at a bordering property.

Michele Savelle sent me a letter this morning that they expect to discuss with the Renton School Board this morning.

The letter encourages district administrators and board members to consider placing all of the Black River students at the recently acquired church property, which is right next to Black River. Right now, a core of students and teachers are moving to the Sartori Education Center.

A few groups that won’t be going to Sartori include the Emotional Behavior Disorder students, who are going to Lindbergh High School’s program, and new freshman classes. By not having a freshman class, in three years the last memory of Black River will graduate.

Black River serves as a last-resort school for students who might otherwise drop out. This letter also asks that new students be admitted into the group.

The letter also asks to save the horticulture program and move it to one of the abandoned greenhouses across the street.

The district has responded in the past that the horticulture program was going to be closed for issues of rigor, not property. It’s also said that moving a core group of students (about 73 percent) and teachers (8, or 6.4 FTE) to Sartori is better and less expensive than remodeling the old church property.

Below is Savelle’s letter.

Letter to Board From CRSBA

Today I was blessed to be listed in this e-mail thread between a community member named Donald Jensen and the Renton School District superintendent’s office regarding the closure of Black River High School and the elimination of the horticulture program.

Community members are still upset over the closures, which were announced in April.

While not all of the questions are addressed in these correspondences, the big ones are. Please read both of these unabridged letters before commenting.

RE:

Mr. Jensen,
I am responding on behalf of Renton Schools Superintendent Dr. Mary Alice Heuschel to your e-mail copied below.

1) The purchase by the district of the two properties you refer to—Skyway Church of God and Evergreen Floral—was part of a $150 million bond measure approved in May 2008 by an overwhelming majority of voters. Property acquisition is clearly presented to voters in bond measures to allow school districts opportunities to purchase available and increasingly scarce land for future school construction.

The district’s designed and responsible purchase of the property bordering our Black River High School campus works in the district’s plan for future development of much-needed elementary or middle school space. Purchasing land adjacent to existing property is strategic and forward-thinking as it allows for increasing acreage and expansion of existing property. The site was at one time thought to be a good location to house portions of Black River High students during construction of the new Secondary Learning Center (also approved in the May 2008 bond measure). But, our Sartori Education Center school has proven to be a better and more ready fit for those students during construction.

2) When the new Secondary Learning Center is complete at the Black River campus (see details here) it will not include the horticulture program because that program does not meet newly-established high school-level requirements, or those measured as college-readiness by the Higher Education Coordinating (HEC) Board.

Newly-adopted district science graduation requirements—prepared through a year-long process that included teachers from all district high schools including Black River High School—are now more in line with state standards which require critical science knowledge and rigor, have two years of a laboratory component, include an algebra-based component, and are taught at a 9-12 grade level. The new science graduation requirements also meet the Science Standards for College Success, established by the HEC board, to ensure high school graduates have credits recognized by colleges and universities, and help students matriculate into state and national colleges and universities.

The horticulture program at Black River specifically does not meet high school standards based on several criteria:

· The program’s standards are based on content of K-8-grade level;

· The program does not meet high school standards at the district, state or the HEC board level;

· The program has no complex human cellular or molecular content; and

· The program has no algebra-based component.

Although I am unable to address your concerns regarding the Alaska Way Viaduct, the state’s ferry service, and other stated opposition to state and federal government, I appreciate the opportunity to set the record straight regarding concerns, rumor or innuendo regarding the Renton School District. Please contact me with any other questions.

Randy Matheson

____________

Subject: Letter of Concern to the Renton School District Board of Directors

To: Renton School District Board of Directors, Renton School District Superintendent, Washington Education Association, SeattlePI, Seattle Times, Komo News, Kiro News, Renton Reporter, Those seeking our votes

To whom it may concern,

We continue to be told that our taxes must be raised. We continue to be told that our services must be cut. We keep being told there is no more money. Then we find out the truth. For example, this year Washington state had to raise taxes to make up for a 30 million dollar shortfall. Now, just this past Friday, we find out that 10 million dollars have been wasted on overtime by the Ferry service. In Seattle, we are spending 5.5 million dollars to make just one bridge suicide proof, and yet we are facing reductions in public safety. We keep spending millions of dollars studying the Alaska Way Viaduct, but we cannot seem to get it replaced.

To add to the frustration, we keep telling our elected officials what is most important to us; Education, Public Safety, Transportation. Our elected officials keep raising our taxes to pay for these issues, but it never seems to be enough.

Let us take a look at our education system. By some measures, our education system in the state of Washington ranks below national average. Our student-teacher ratio is one of the worst in the nation. When asked to address it, our elected officials keep telling us that other programs are important also. While looking at the Renton School District, it has come to my attention that our tax dollars were used to purchas two pieces of property for which it paid 2.85 million dollars. The public was told this property was purchased to house the students from the soon to be closed Black River High School, and the school districts horticulture program. Then, against the will of the people, the district changed its mind. The students are going somewhere else, and the horticulture program has been dropped. The taxpayers are stuck owning property for which the school district seems to have no plan.

To our elected officials, and those seeking to be elected officials, the time has come to understand that you are our Representatives. Whether you are a member of the school board, or a US Senator, you are there to speak for us and present our best interested. In simple terms, the will of the people must be taken seriously, and the tax dollars we send to you must be spend wisely. Every dollar should have a question mark on it— Every Single Dollar!

These are no longer requests, but rather standards by which your performance will be measured.

These are the election year issues. These are the issues we will be casting our votes on.

I am asking the Seattle Press to publish this letter. There is nothing bad that can come from an informed public, and so far the public has not been fully informed. Take for example this story published in the Renton Reporter http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/south_king/ren/news/97180009.html If you notice, the entire story is written from the perspective of the school district. There is no discussion of the thoughts or concerns that the teachers, or students, or parents have. No one is asking about the quality of education that the students will receive in their new setting. Furthermore, there is no mention of the 2.85 million dollars that the school district has apparently wasted of property it had no use for. It is time to have these discussions, and if the Renton Reporter will not look at both sides, then hopefully the news agencies of Seattle will.

I further hope, that by publishing this letter, people around the state will begin to look more closely at where our tax dollars are going, and what decisions are being made by our elected officials when we are not paying attention. It is time to send a clear message, that we are paying attention.

I thank you for your time,

Donald K Jensen

The district plans to ask for more ideas on how to save the Lindbergh Pool in tonight’s meeting.

In a budget meeting last month, about a hundred community and school members asked administrators to spare the pool from being cut. Administrators are hoping tonight that there will be concrete solutions.

“This is a working meeting to have the community tell us what it is they’d do to find funding to place the pool in our budget for the coming year,” said spokesperson Randy Matheson. “The thing we need to be clear about is that we’re not coming with solutions.”

One idea from the district was to privatize the pool. A request for offers stands until March 31. The district has received a few, but hasn’t examined them to see if they are legitimate, Matheson said.

Another idea was to raise pool fees, which pay for about $300,000 of the pool’s about $476,000 budget.

The pool, built on school district property by King County, was released to the district after the area annexed to the City of Renton. Money from the county has kept the pool open for the past two years, but it’s since run dry.

Facing a multi-million-dollar budget cut, which could mean up to 35 teacher layoffs, the district doesn’t plan to take the money from its budget.

Lindbergh and Kentridge high school swimmers would be affected by the closure, but even more so community members care about swim lessons and exercise time, which fills he pool’s schedule 6 a.m.-9:30 p.m. daily.

The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. at Lindbergh High School.

The Renton School District announced Friday that it’s planning a special meeting to discuss the Lindbergh Pool closing at 6:30 p.m., March 16.
Last week swimmers, parents and community members swamped a budget meeting at Lindbergh to show their support for the pool.
The district is facing an about $6.1 million budget cut, and county funding for the district-run pool dries up this year.

Below is a district press release.

Second LHS Pool Meeting Planed-3!4!2010