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Boundary changes considered for eastside elementary schools
9/29/2010 10:24:27 AM
By Kelly Moore
Splash Staff Writer
A planned new elementary school would be over capacity as soon as it opens under the district's current boundary alignment plans, the Central Valley School Board learned Monday.
The new school, planned to be built at Mission and Long one mile west of the Liberty Lake border, is a central component of the district's planned $69.6 million bond that will go before voters in February. If approved, the school would help ease crowding in the eastern portion of the district currently served by Liberty Lake, Greenacres and Progress elementary schools and by the Central Valley Kindergarten Center.
The school board planned for the new school in September 2005 by approving school attendance area boundaries that included a new elementary on Mission. Bonds that would have built the school have been defeated twice since that time, and board members examined new data at Monday's meeting that showed how the 2005 boundaries would stand up to the district's current enrollment.
The data, collected by Teater Consulting, showed the attendance areas approved in 2005 would have to be amended to keep the new school from being over capacity, and Superintendent Ben Small led a work session to generate ideas for modifying the boundaries. Small noted that not only has growth been "much greater in the eastern portion of the district," but the district anticipates substantial growth in the proposed boundary for the new school. The planned service boundary not only includes Greenstone's entire River District development, including the Bitterroot Lodge Apartments, but it includes Big Trout Lodge and Greenstone's Rocky Hill development.
School board members reviewed different options, including extending Greenacres Elementary's planned boundary further north from Sprague Avenue to Interstate 90. Greenacres' eastern boundary would remain Liberty Lake Road. The board also asked to see what it would look like if Big Trout Lodge was included in the Liberty Lake Elementary boundary. Advertisement
The board acknowledged they wanted to keep a "neighborhood schools" mentality, noting walking distance to schools and considering natural boundaries that don't split neighborhoods.
"Having good solid data and good solid information will help us work through these decisions," Small said.
No decisions were made at the meeting, and Small said they would continue to collect data and address board members' concerns.
In addition to building the new school, the proposed bond would renovate a number of existing schools and close down the Central Valley Kindergarten Center, returning kindergartners to their neighborhood elementary schools.
In other business:
• Board Member Debra Long reported the governor's proposed state budget calls for a 6.3 percent cut in wages for all employees, regardless of contracts. The proposed budget still has to be passed through the Legislature.
• The board approved an energy services performance contract with McKinstry Essention Inc. The contract approves a maximum of $2.6 million toward specified projects throughout the district that would improve efficiency.
• Three University High School students were honored for their display of the current PACE trait of the month - respect.
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