Date: October 19, 2006

Resource: Daily Herald

Second phase of school closings halted
Proposals tabled after emotional meeting

By JESSICA BLANCHARD
P-I REPORTER

Just hours after Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Raj Manhas unveiled his final school-closure proposal Wednesday, a sharply divided School Board decided to postpone the second phase of closures indefinitely.

The 5-2 vote came at the end of one of the most tense and emotionally charged School Board meetings in recent memory.


Mike Urban / P-I
Twins Claire, left, and Emma Strevey, 8, support their mom, Beth Bakeman, Wednesday as she speaks before the School Board in opposition to moving the Pathfinder program. Responses by some parents to the superintendent's closure plans were heated.
After hours of public comments from angry parents and community members over the latest closure proposal, board member Irene Stewart said the recommendations were unlikely to be approved by the board and suggested the proposal be tabled indefinitely.

"I don't think anybody needs to go through this for two more weeks," she said.

Stewart joined board members Mary Bass, Darlene Flynn, Sally Soriano and Board President Brita Butler-Wall in voting to postpone the second phase of closures.

Closures, however, could resurface in the future.

Dozens of people -- including some students -- had packed the auditorium at district headquarters Wednesday evening to lambaste Manhas and the School Board.

No one who spoke during the nearly four hours of public testimony was in favor of the latest proposal, which spared Roxhill Elementary but otherwise was unchanged from the preliminary recommendation.

Some in the audience egged on speakers, shouting "amen!" or "thank you!" There were several standing ovations. One man led the crowd in a chant of "Stop school closures now!" A couple of people grew red in the face, screaming at the School Board and Manhas. A few cried.

At one point, a racially charged shouting match between an unidentified white man and group of African Americans led to a wild scuffle in the middle of the room. The man was eventually escorted out by district security officers.

Moments later, citizen activist Don Alexander led the crowd in a verse of "Go Down Moses (Let My People Go)," which seemed to calm the mood.


Mike Urban / P-I
Don Alexander, chairman of Save Our Schools, grills Summit Alternative students before the School Board meeting to make sure they know why they are protesting the closure of schools.
During a break in the meeting, Butler-Wall said she understood people's frustration and anger over the closure proposals.

The public comment session was extended Wednesday to accommodate everyone who wanted to speak, but the board usually doesn't respond to comments during meetings -- which only seemed to feed the anger of many of the speakers.

"People feel so strongly where children are involved," Butler-Wall said. " I'm sorry (the meeting) didn't stay peaceful."

Board members Cheryl Chow and Michael DeBell, who voted against postponing a decision on the second phase of closures, expressed more frustration at the tone of the meeting.

"What happened tonight was an embarrassment, a total embarrassment to the city and the children," Chow said.

Said DeBell: "A political culture of intimidation, insults -- it's not the way to build a community." He also chided those speakers who had lashed out at the board and Manhas, saying, "It hurts me. You're diminishing the entire school district."

Both said closures are necessary given the district's financial situation.

Under the final proposal, released Wednesday afternoon, West Seattle's Roxhill Elementary would have been spared -- but the plan had still included controversial recommendations to move two alternative schools.

Alternative School No. 1 would have moved from its Pinehurst building in Northeast Seattle into the nearby Summit K-12. And in West Seattle, the Pathfinder K-8 alternative program would have moved from its rundown Genesee Hill building into the newer Cooper Elementary. It would have remained a K-8 school, though district officials had said they wanted the program to adopt some aspects of the traditional Cooper K-5 program.

Manhas also had proposed merging Viewlands Elementary into Broadview-Thomson Elementary in 2007-08, creating a K-8 school.

Roxhill was removed from the list because the school has "the right elements for student success," Manhas said in a statement Wednesday. The school is consistently raising academic achievement for its diverse student population and has strong leadership and an experienced, cohesive staff, he said.

Dispersing students to Gatewood or Arbor Heights elementary schools also would have caused a significant disruption for families and would have meant they didn't have the same opportunities to walk or take Metro buses to school, he noted.

In a written report, Manhas had warned that Roxhill must boost its small enrollment and accelerate its academic success. But given that other schools being closed or merged have been allowed to move intact, the idea of splitting up Roxhill students and staff "didn't feel right" and was scrapped, said district spokesman Peter Daniels.

Roxhill staff and parents celebrated the news Wednesday. Principal Katie Cryan Leary said having the community "speak their hearts about what Roxhill has been to them" was pivotal in swaying district officials' opinions of the school.

"We've all kind of been in shock and are letting it all sink in," she said. "But we really do feel validated in the hard work that's been done."


Mike Urban / P-I
The Seattle School Board meeting turned violent briefly as a man chanted to the crowd, "Can't a white man speak here?" The unidentified man was being led out by security when he became abusive and refused to leave the building. He was tackled by security and escorted out.
In his updated proposal, Manhas had also tried to address criticisms of his Pathfinder-Cooper recommendation.

Parents at both schools had decried the idea of trying to blend Cooper's traditional program with Pathfinder's alternative one and had been among the most vocal opponents of the closures plan.

Manhas laid out enrollment and diversity statistics to try to address parents' concerns and said he envisioned the two schools forming a planning committee to come up with "an extended vision of an alternative school."

He also suggested bringing in a facilitator from outside the district to work with families and staff members from both schools.

The suggestions left parents from both Cooper and Pathfinder seething Wednesday night, and they vented their anger on the School Board.

"You're asking us to give up our successful formula without any real idea of what might replace it," said Elliott Toler-Scott, a Pathfinder parent. A new program might work, "but I know Pathfinder works."

"Cooper is a thriving wonderful school," said Rob Silver, who teaches technology at the school. "This is a travesty. Cooper should be left alone."

Like the Cooper and Pathfinder parents, those with children at Summit and AS No. 1 also voiced their strong disapproval of Manhas' recommendations.

"Phase Two pretty much feels like an attack on alternative education," said Priscilla Price, whose son attends AS No. 1. "I think everyone can see that."

Dan Landers, a Summit parent, noted that board members continue to express regret at closing schools but say they have to do something.

"Quit doing something," he said. "And start doing the right thing. ... Please stop pushing forward a plan that isn't going to give us what we need."

If the board had approved Manhas' proposal Nov. 1, it would have set the district up for closing nine school buildings -- the largest round of cost-cutting closures in decades. All the schools would have closed or merged next fall.

The School Board voted in July to close seven school buildings and merge several programs, as part of a broader plan to save millions of dollars each year, redirect money toward academic programs and make the best use of the district's limited resources.

Not everyone is convinced closures will help, however. Two closures-related lawsuits have been filed against the district and are pending in King County Superior Court.

Parents and community members have been protesting at meetings and public hearings, and some have threatened recall campaigns against board members who voted for closures.

And next Monday, representatives from the local teachers' union will vote on whether to withdraw their support for both the district's school-closures plans.

The union pulling its support would not necessarily kill both closures plans -- but it could influence public opinion and put added pressure on district officials.