The Seattle School Board has approved the final recommendations for the Student Assignment Plan, which will determine where a student attends school based on their home address. Parents have voiced concern that the boundary lines will force some Ballard high school-aged students to Ingraham while Magnolia and Queen Anne students will be assigned to Ballard. Public comment will be heard in the fall when the boundary lines are presented to the public. As part of the final plan, the School Board also approved an amendment to address the grandfathering of siblings as part of a transition plan to be developed by the district, “provided that doing so is feasible and does not displace incoming attendance area kindergarten students,” the district press release says.
Assignment Plan approved, boundaries to be drawn
Ahhh, the SPS whirly bird blender system for school assignment. God forbid they have local schools, that would be 'elitist' to the social experimenters the SPS keeps on its pay rolls.
Yet more central planning. Anybody who sacrifices a little freedom for a little security deserves neither. Maybe this and other BS explains exactly why many are voting with their feet/dollars and opting out of SPS's. The more they do for you, the more they do TO you. Isn't that special
Yeah! – Now all the cranks can post about the evil public school social experimenters!! I love the crap about “local” schools too! I mean how local is local any way? What a way to help kids.
We live .8 of a mile door to door from Ballard high and I'll be damned if my kid isn't going to finish off her high school years at the same school her 2 siblings did and where she has already spent her freshman year!!!!!!
” I mean how local is local any way? “
Is you an idiot?
Jeez, kids. Make a little sacrifice. So, you have to make new friends! Boo freaking hoo. It's not the end of the world. You'll survive.
The old Lincoln High School in Fremont as long been used as the interim school while other Seattle high schools were closed, remodeled/rebuilt and reopened. I think all the high schools have now been completed. Now it's time to remodel Lincoln and reopen it for Magnolia and Queen Anne students to go to. Those students have to travel anyway. This will ensure Ballard kids go to our local Ballard schools.
Anonymous,
Give me a break! It's not about making friends, it's about a great school (BHS), a fabulous & award winning Principal (Brockman) , transportation, Ballard pride and knowing the faculty, teachers and staff of a given school so that we may navigate the way for our and our kid's high school experience & education.
Let's face it, the knowledge and familiarity gained (which teachers are great, which ones totally suck and are a waste of time) from already having kids go there the past 8 years in invaluable.
I just don't think anyone already going to a given school should be moved just cause the lines get re-drawn on the whims of Queen Anne and Magnolia. Re-draw the lines for the new IN COMING students, not the current ones.
These people are too politically savvy to do something like that. These (terrible) changes primarily effect people who do not even know they are happening (kids that are entering high-school more than two years from now). That's the plan when you try to pull BS like this, don't affect people immediately, instead, screw over people in the future and when they complain say, “It's been like this for years.” Luckily at least some of us are wise to this. The more people we can inform the bigger the outrage and the better the chance we can stop them doing more damage to the school system.
Yes I guess I am.
I think that children traveling less than 5 miles to a school is local.
But apparently genius grubby ballard has a better definition – but she just can't get the fingers to move on the keyboard to give a better response.
and who said that she would have to move – over react much?
give us a break – your concern about school boundaries obviously one of self concern. In another 3 years you probably won't give a hoot about what would be fair for other peoples children.
What you are talking about is not about Ballard Pride – it is about entitlement and the extreme Seattle trait to wail and moan about any change to the point of inertia.
hmm…
not sure you know much about the school system up close.
Do you have kids in the system? how many PTA meetings do you go to? do you volunteer at little league? as a school team or club parent? (even though you work full time?) Are you intimately aware of how great some teachers are and how horrible they can be? have you been in meetings to have a bad teacher removed so that other students to follow won't be stuck with them? do you vote for increases in taxes for things that won't affect you personally but that you know that for the good of the system as a whole it is the necessary thing to do?
Well I DO and NOW you know a little about me,
prior to your comments you knewNOTHING about me (except that I value my kids' educational experiance and really like Ballard High)
You just made narrow minded, mean spirited assumptions about me…
oh, and by the way…I'm NOT “from Seattle” nor do I have a “sense of entitlement” I moved to Ballard 10 years ago, love it and have worked my ass off to help improve the community for everyone, not just me and my family.
We just want our kids to be able to enjoy and participate in a local highschool. As I said before the lines were at 65th Street. South of that had to be bussed out of the area in the early 80's. My kids could have walked to school in 5 minutes. Instead they had to go to Cleveland High an 80 minute on a school bus ride away. If you lived east of 15th the kids had to go to Franklin. Now I don't want my grandkid to take a Metro bus and transfer how many times to get there. We protested this plan when it was assigned but we were considered “lower Ballard” and just didn't have the clout as the upper North had to change the lines. This will probably happen again with Magnolia and Q.A. wanting all their kids to come here. Why are they waiting until later to name the lines?? Get it out in the open now, so we will know to what they are up to.I agree that Lincoln would be a good fit, as it is really a nice school. Fix it up. You have a few years to do this in.
Who's idea was it to turn Queen High Sschool into Condos in the first place??
yes, I judged what you wrote and I don't care to know much more about you – because you haven't seemed to look around with all of your whatever you do to be involved with the schools and saw me there too working for the good of all kids.
you just have to be able to look further than the end of your own nose.
whoops – sorry to offend you with my “mean spirited” comment – it is just that I am so bored with the likes of you.
Yes, but this plan means people living north of 85th, less than 2 miles from BHS, will be pushed out. Care to explain why your definition of 'local' again.
If you want to argue against parents protecting their neighborhood schools you might want to make sure your postings have at least a smidgen decent grammar. Just a thought if you want to be taken seriously in a debate about education.
Well put.
Another very good point.
It's so encouraging that one can always expect no-nothing cranks like most of the previous posters to go at each other's throats on ANY post from My Ballard. You all have not disappointed today. Bravo.
And now for something completely different… Civil Discourse.
For real families in Ballard with children who are interested and want to know more about the Assignment Plan check the Seattle Public School site here http://www.seattleschools.org/area/newassign/in… . This plan is a comprehensive look at Elementary, Middle School, High School, Alternative and Special Education Services. It impacts every student and their respective families in the district.
I've been to a number of School Board meetings and they've been remarkably consistent in not saying what the boundaries will be … yet. Further most of the concern outside of Ballard has been regarding the Sibling Tiebraker which they've addressed yesterday.
Ballard High School is one of the largest high schools in the city. It is also unusual in that the majority of the high school age children who live near it actually go to it. Check the School District's Maps. Still though the school is faced with a continued decline in school age population along with a mismatch of capacity as the demographics of the city change. Where Ballard may almost be full Ingraham is not and alot of it's local kids don't even go to Ingraham. My guess is that the School Board will be looking to take the kids in the North Beach / Olympic Manor area and having them move to Ingraham. That would move some 600 or so kids from BHS and provide some space for incoming Magnolia or QA kids.
We'll see. The school board is remarkably united at every turn. They are playing this very close to the vest.