Increase Capacity in the NE Cluster

The number of students attending schools in the Northeast (NE) Cluster of Seattle Public Schools (SPS) greatly exceeds capacity. This summer, SPS is developing a plan to address capacity in the NE Cluster. As concerned citizens, we want to collaborate with the School Board, and SPS to be part of the solution to create sufficient capacity, without reducing the quality of programs, for all children wanting to attend their neighborhood public schools.

There were 69 additional kindergarten students enrolled in the NE Cluster for the 2007-08 school -- a 14\% annual increase. This enrollment trend is predicted to continue for the 2008-09 school year. Five elementary schools in our cluster opened five new kindergarten classrooms with little-to-no budget increases for the additional children. Some schools will have four or five kindergarten classrooms, yet SPS states the ideal school size is two to three classes per grade. Enrollment pressure continues at the middle and high school levels. One-third of Eckstein Middle School students currently attend classes in portables. According to SPSs own data, the capacity problem will get worse: SPS expects an increase of 777 (14\%) students in grades K-12 in the NE Cluster over the next 10 years.

We are encouraged that families see the public schools in the NE Cluster as a desirable option. To continue providing quality programs and attracting students into our public schools, we, the undersigned, believe the Seattle School Board, in conjunction with SPS and concerned citizens, must:

- develop a comprehensive plan for an additional elementary and middle school in the NE Cluster for the 2009-2010 school year to accommodate increased demand. The plan should also articulate required action to create additional high school spaces;
- restrict the number of kindergarten classrooms per school to the enrollment levels of the 2006-07 school year (without sacrificing space or quality of programs).