August 9, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Redmond, Wash.- In the fall of 2008, Lake Washington School District will open a new elementary school on the Sammamish Plateau, adjacent to Inglewood Junior High. The new elementary school is being built to accommodate the growing number of students in the area. Before the new school opens, the district will need to determine which students will attend the new elementary school and how other school boundaries will be affected.

The district’s goals in developing the new boundaries are to:

• ensure that each school on the plateau has an appropriate population for the physical space;
• consider the impact on families’ continuity with their schools;
• ensure efficient and effective operation of the district.

Changing school boundaries is not an easy process. It is one the district takes very seriously and encourages parents to be involved in. The process is outlined here so that parents and the community can follow it and be involved. The three elementary schools affected by the process are McAuliffe, Mead and Smith. These three schools have and are projected to continue to have more students than the buildings are designed to accommodate. By restricting the process to these three schools, the district limits disruption to other schools and families.

A committee formed of principals from the affected schools as well as facilities, business and transportation staff, will begin working in early September. Cindy Lundvall, director of student services, will chair the group. The committee will be charged with completing the following tasks, using parent input in decision-making throughout the process:

• reviewing demographic data, enrollment projections, transportation data, possible decision criteria
• prioritizing the decision criteria
• developing boundary scenarios
• analyzing scenarios and identify pros/cons for each
• selecting the two to three best scenarios based on the criteria
• ensuring that parents have a variety of opportunities for input regarding criteria, scenarios, impacts, and possible alternatives

Once the committee has identified draft decision criteria, they will solicit community input and refine the criteria based on that input. Results will be reported on the district Web site and will then be used to develop a set of boundary scenarios. The committee will then solicit further community input on the draft scenarios through meetings and web feedback. Face-to-face meetings will be held for the affected elementary schools. Parents will have opportunities to learn directly from the committee what the data and criteria are and how the options were determined. Parents will also be able to give input on the scenarios. The committee will review and respond to the community input by reexamining the scenarios, revising them based on the input, and returning to the later meetings with any revised scenarios.

Once the committee feels it has received thorough community input and has done the best possible job of responding to that input with the draft scenarios, it will select a preferred scenario to present to the Superintendent and Board of Directors. That scenario may be revised based on Superintendent and Board requests for additional information. A final recommendation will then be presented by the Superintendent to the Board for approval.

Each step of the process will be communicated to the community, through the PTSAs, local media and the district Web site. The complete process, including a calendar of public meetings and information on the data, criteria and possible scenarios, will all be posted on the district Web site as it is developed beginning in September.

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