Facilities Message from Superintendent Dr. Greg Baker

A Message from Superintendent Dr. Greg Baker

Dear Families and Community,

 Thank you for all of the feedback on the Springboard Facilities Proposal. Throughout the last several weeks, I have had many meetings with parents, staff and community members and one-on-one discussions to listen to thoughts, concerns and reflections. I also received feedback via e-mail and more than 380 comments were submitted online. I read through all of them. I want to share with you what I learned and also our current thinking on next steps.

Overall, the ideas presented in November seemed to resonate positively with a high level of support as well as appreciation for the concept of a springboard proposal – transparently sharing an idea in its early stages and seeking input.

With all of the recent dismal state budget news, it may seem counter-intuitive to be building a new school and working on facility projects, but state law only allows us to use capital projects funds for facility needs, not to help with the numerous budget challenges we face in so many instructional and program areas.

 Birchwood at Cordata

This part of the proposal was to open Cordata Elementary School in north Bellingham for elementary school students in fall 2011. It included temporarily housing all Birchwood Elementary School, along with other students, at Cordata while Birchwood is being rebuilt using funds that were slated for District Office seismic improvements and state construction assistance funds. The new school has the capacity for up to 500 students.

Feedback: Widespread, strong support emerged for the idea of “Birchwood at Cordata,” provided that Birchwood reopen following a rebuild.  Many expressed that Birchwood is badly in need of repair, and voiced the desire for an energy-efficient facility that meets children’s learning needs while being a good fit for the surrounding historic neighborhood, as with the current brick façade. Some also shared concerns about the culture/identity of “Birchwood at Cordata” and the transition of Cordata in subsequent years to its own neighborhood school community.

• “I think the Cordata school move is a chance for Birchwood to improve its many technical difficulties. I am a fourth grade student at Birchwood and even though I would like to spend my last elementary school year at a school I have spent almost four years at, I think the change would improve the school and community, therefore making Birchwood a better place for students, staff and families. I agree with the logical proposal.”
• “This proposal makes sense financially and community-building wise. It honors northside families by offering a beautiful new school to them.”
• “Birchwood, as a facility, is worn out.”
• “I won’t have confidence [Birchwood] will reopen until a timeline can be developed. I hope the neighborhood has a large say in the general character of the new building.”
• “Please allow Birchwood neighbors to be part of the design process…Keep the garden going. Enlist neighbors to work on it on a volunteer basis.”

The feedback also showed the tension that exists between an appreciation for small, neighborhood schools and the cost of the operation of neighborhood schools with one grade level each compared to schools with two or three classes per grade level.

• “I love the idea that Birchwood is tucked away safely while their school is updated. My biggest concern is that it will not reopen. I strongly feel that the Bellingham community thrives on our neighborhood schools.”
• “Not sure as a taxpayer that I want to have yet more elementary schools built when we have some schools that are not being operated at capacity.”

Birchwood at Cordata Next Steps: We plan to move forward in the direction of “Birchwood at Cordata” for fall 2011 with the next level of analysis and planning to provide smooth transitions, followed by a formal public hearing in January to use bond funds for the purpose of rebuilding Birchwood. By having Birchwood students and staff at Cordata while Birchwood is being rebuilt, we save the cost of operating another elementary school in these tight economic times. The intention is that when the new Birchwood reopens after the rebuild in fall 2013 or 2014, many Birchwood students would return to their new school and some would stay at Cordata, according to revised northside attendance areas. We anticipate that once the economy recovers, and growth occurs in the north end of the district — as evidenced by recent city annexations and several large housing projects in the planning stages — Birchwood’s attendance will increase and the large housing projects surrounding Cordata will begin to fill with families who have school-age children. This means we would need both Cordata and Birchwood in the future for elementary school children.

Relieving Overcrowding at Sunnyland and Alderwood by Opening Cordata

The second part of the proposal called for postponing full implementation of the northside school attendance areas as adopted in 2006: http://bellinghamschools.org/sites/default/files/district/documents/elemwithcordata.pdf  This included working with Alderwood, Sunnyland and Northern Heights to determine which portions of the boundaries adopted in 2006 to implement in the fall to provide relief from overcrowding and help balance northside enrollment. The goal would be for some current Alderwood and Sunnyland elementary school students to attend Cordata beginning in fall 2011 to provide overcrowding relief for Sunnyland and Alderwood. Depending on how much of the boundaries were implemented, some current Northern Heights’ students that live near Sunnyland Elementary School might attend Sunnyland in the fall. Because this temporarily includes all Birchwood students at Cordata, only portions of the previously adopted northside school attendance areas may be able to be implemented until Birchwood reopens. This will depend upon enrollment and projection data that is currently being gathered.

Feedback: Many expressed support for relieving overcrowding at Sunnyland and Alderwood elementary schools. There was concern about not reducing Sunnyland too much because staff value having more than one grade level for collaboration, and to ensure a balance of ethnicity and socio-economic diversity. There were concerns about implementing the boundaries at this time to move some Northern Heights’ students, who live close to Sunnyland, to Sunnyland because Northern Heights is not currently overcrowded. There were also concerns that a loss of diversity at Northern Heights could occur with this attendance area implementation and that a few of the school’s teachers, all of whom have been trained in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, might have to move.

• “Based on recent experience at Sunnyland, there is no question that numbers are growing too fast in that area of town for the current facility to continue to serve with existing boundaries.”
• “My hope would be that each of the effected schools will remain as equally diverse as possible, crossing multiple cultural and socio-economic levels.”
• “Our school is overcrowded, to say the least.”
• “Effort should be made to reduce the impact of transitions on students.”

Alderwood/Sunnyland/Northern Heights Next Steps: We plan to conduct the next level of detailed analysis in January and will work with Alderwood and Sunnyland staff and school communities in the process to determine which parts of the adopted attendance areas to implement for Cordata. We want to strike a balance of relieving overcrowding, keeping intact strong school communities at each location, and allowing room for continued growth at Sunnyland and Alderwood. We will use data and work with Northern Heights to determine whether to implement any part of the attendance area shift to Sunnyland at this time.

Preschool and Special Programs at Cordata

The proposal included investigating the possibility of including the Alderwood preschool and/or other district programs as part of the new Cordata Elementary School.

Feedback: There are many questions about how much space there will be for special programs at Cordata such as preschool or Lifeskills with all of Birchwood and partial implementation of other attendance areas. Preschool staff expressed support for being fully integrated into an elementary school program.

• “The building is old and run down and could use some repair. Alderwood preschool would flourish in a new environment.”
• “As a teacher who as to this point has spent my whole teaching career in the Alderwood preschool site, I am very excited about the possible opportunity to be a real member of a school community if we are relocated to Cordata.”

Preschool/Programs Next Steps: We will conduct the next level of detailed analysis in January and meet with Alderwood preschool and special program staff to determine program and space needs and priorities.

Hold on District Office Work and Explore Better Space for Alternative Programs

The proposal also called for putting District Office seismic work on hold until a Superintendent’s Facilities Advisory Committee can evaluate all facility needs as part of a longer-term facilities plan and make recommendations to the superintendent. Meanwhile, it was proposed to reconfigure current District Office work areas to align with organizational restructuring by relocating some departments/offices within the building and possibly to schools. The proposal included exploring moving Options High School and Community Transitions from portable classrooms to existing school facilities, possibly for fall 2011 while working on a more permanent solution. And, it included exploring existing space options for homeschool partnership program, online learning, year-round credit retrieval needs and early childhood programs, should the district decide to implement these programs.

Feedback: People expressed an appreciation for putting students first, including strong support from District Office staff. Some expressed concern over using bond funds differently than intended by rebuilding Birchwood instead. Staff also shared safety concerns about the current state of the District Office facility and wondered if there would be a way to do some minor upgrades in the meantime to provide an elevator/lift to make the building accessible and to provide fresh air circulation.  There was strong support for better facility for alternative programs and ideas to combine District Office staff and students in shared spaces in the future.

• “As a District Office employee, I admit I was looking forward to better working conditions with improved heating and air conditioning, better/safer electrical, better organization of offices, an elevator. However, knowing almost none of that would happen with a retrofit and only with a remodel, I think we should keep in mind our ultimate purpose is to take care of the kids and improve Birchwood first. By delaying, it gives us time to really analyze the best and highest use of our buildings.”
• “I also agree that taking care of the schools first should be a priority for our district and community. However, with 20 schools, I wonder if there will ever be a time when there won’t be needs within our schools that might seem more important than remodeling the District Office.”
• “I am so grateful that the superintendent acknowledges that Options students deserve a real facility/school where they can learn and grow and focus on learning and achieving at high levels.”
• “Thank you for being attentive to the needs of ALL children in our city and school district. I’m proud to put my tax dollars toward a district that is focused on equity.”

District Office/Alternative Programs Next Steps: We will hold a formal public hearing in January to use the 2006 bonds for Birchwood instead of the District Office at this time. We will also explore the feasibility of some safety upgrades to the District Office in the meantime and meet with staff to restructure department/office spaces. And, we will explore better spaces for Options High School and Community Transitions. 

Whatcom Middle School

The feedback also contained an appreciation that the proposal emphasized that rebuilding Whatcom is a priority. Some also worried that other facility projects might slow down progress on Whatcom and others had questions about if Cordata could be used to temporarily house Whatcom students until the rebuilt Whatcom is ready. Cordata is built for a capacity of 500 students and Whatcom has 600 students. This, combined with our push to rebuild Whatcom as quickly as possible, Birchwood facility needs, and overcrowding at Sunnyland and Alderwood, makes this not the best use of space for Cordata for next school year. In addition, in the event that Whatcom is completed earlier than expected, a decision to temporarily use Cordata for this purpose could prevent Whatcom students from returning to their new school as quickly as possible. We will provide another update about Whatcom’s progress by mid-March.

Sehome High School and Other Longer-Term Facility Needs

Many students, families, staff and alumni have shared with me the numerous facility concerns and needs at Sehome. A rebuild or remodel of a high school is far more expensive than for an elementary school and we do not have capital funds needed for Sehome at this time. Please know that this is on my radar and I plan at the appropriate time to issue a call for applications for students, staff, parents and community members to serve on a Superintendent’s Facilities Advisory Committee. This committee will advise me on long-term facilities issues including future plans for Sehome High School, early childhood programs, property purchase for a Sudden Valley elementary school that is currently on hold pending new development regulations, future elementary school remodels/construction, the District Office facility, and other bond, safety and facility-related issues.

As I hope you can see, the current status of our facilities presents many complex issues for us that I plan to work on closely with our community in the future.  In addressing our most urgent needs now, I am excited by improved learning conditions this direction presents for many of our children. I will continue to keep you informed as we move through the next steps in the process.

Sincerely,

Greg Baker

Funding for school construction, facility improvements and property purchases comes from a capital projects fund. By law, this cannot be used for day-to-day operations or to address budget shortfalls.