Nearly 200 people packed Ballard High School’s library Wednesday night to participate in a community meeting about the controversial proposal to create Seattle school boundaries. “I thought it was going to be packed,” Ballard High Principal Phil Brockman told us as the crowd gathered. “But not this packed.”
Tracy Libros, who heads up enrollment for the school district, ran through a Powerpoint of the proposed student assignment boundaries, which were released October 6th. Libros said that the district is looking “at all the boundaries” to make possible changes. “We do believe that the initial proposal did not balance out the enrollment in the north end high schools, so we’re looking at that,” she said, explaining the new maps will be released on November 3rd.
While North Ballard residents felt cut off, some didn’t mince words about the fact Magnolia and Queen Anne kids will be attending Ballard High under the new boundary maps. “Obviously Queen Anne and Magnolia have a right to come to Ballard, but why aren’t they fighting the fact they sold Queen Anne High School several years ago? They should go to Ingraham,” one man said to a thundering applause.
Complete coverage at our sister site myballard.
16 responses so far ↓
1 aems // Oct 15, 2009 at 1:10 pm
Magnolia parents - We need to make ourselves visible and heard in this debate. I was at this meeting, and heard very little from Magnolia residents, although there was much talk about how “we” should not have priority the “their” school. Please go to the SPS web-site, become informed and make you comments directly.
2 Name // Oct 15, 2009 at 2:56 pm
That's right. We may feel ok about the plan and therefore be more quiet than those who are angered. But if we don't make our voices heard, our kids may get the short end of the stick, AGAIN. We finally have an assignment plan that works for our kids. After years of a terrible disadvantage (not being close to ANY school in a scheme where your “choice” depends on your distance from the school), our kids have predictability and are assigned to the nearest high school.
Speak out.
3 DavidB // Oct 16, 2009 at 6:46 am
Take a look at the Ballard Forum where there are currently about 80 comments. Parents over there are outraged that QA and Magnolia kids will be attending Ballard High.
Some people are making irrational statements that QA kids should be assigned to Garfield, Roosevelt, or Franklin. These schools are too far away to reasonable suggest kids travel that far. Of course there are also statements about how QA & Magnolia should build their “own” school . As if our money doesn't fund Seattle Public Schools.
Yes, be more vocal about this plan. Ballard High is the closest school to our communities.
People upset about their kids being assigned to Ingram should have some cheese with their whine.
The school district can't please everyone and it seems that the residents living north of 85th are the most vocal about having to attend Ingram.
4 JIm // Oct 16, 2009 at 8:27 am
We would love to People of Ballard !!!
This is a Joke -
“Obviously Queen Anne and Magnolia have a right to come to Ballard, but why aren’t they fighting the fact they sold Queen Anne High School several years ago? They should go to Ingraham,” one man said to a thundering applause. “Have them build their own (high school),” exclaimed another.
5 Magnolia Observer // Oct 16, 2009 at 10:00 am
I believe much of this controversy comes from the name of the high school itself. People in Ballard are claiming ownership because of the name it holds. If the name were simply “High School” and they took another look at the proposed boundaries it may make a little more sense.
6 RealEmjay // Oct 16, 2009 at 1:01 pm
Wow!! Thats the best way to contract H1N1!! Go to a big enclosed area with lots of children coughing and picking their noses!
7 Ballard_Curmudgeon // Oct 16, 2009 at 2:39 pm
You're wrong, most people in Ballard are upset because the school board is going to try and move the north boarder somewhere BETWEEN 85th and 65th at the last minute (Nov 4th is the latest data for a new round of maps, and voiting is on the 18th).
Frankly, very few people have a problem with people from Magnolia coming to Ballard HS. But many Queen Anne students are definitely closer to Garfield then Ballard HS, and those that aren't it is a difference of a few minutes. Igraham is in the very northern part of the Ingraham zone, so the difference between someone on 70th going from Ballard to Ingraham is a 10 minute walk versus an hour+ bus ride (because students must transfer are Aurora).
My ideal map would be a large portion of Queen Anne going to Garfield. Magnolia going to Ballard and everyone in Ballard (including as many people as possible north of 85th) going to Ballard HS.
I'd also like to see a long term plan at least worked on for building a high-school on the Queen Anne / Magnolia border. I completely understand that the district can't afford it now, but they should have the foresite to start planning now. I believe that density is going to do nothing but increase in the coming years. You'll never get the money to build a school if you don't have a plan.
8 another mother // Oct 16, 2009 at 2:56 pm
Good sense Ballard Curmudgeon.
9 kurtd // Oct 16, 2009 at 3:27 pm
Ballard Curmudgeon: I agree with much, though certainly not all, of what you say. I think that proximity to Garfield for southern QA is a bit of a red herring, because commuting through downtown Seattle is a real burden, especially given that there's excellent bus service from lower QA to Ballard High.
But yes, there should be a Magnolia/QA High School. I grew up in Magnolia and went to Queen Anne High, and I will never understand why the District chose to give up such a perfectly located and irreplaceable property. I think the best hope now is for some sort of large land acquisition in the Interbay area, but I sure don't see any movement on the part of the District toward doing anything about it.
I do have a different recollection of the remarks made at the “workshop” meeting than what you do (if indeed that's your source for the “moving the boundary south of 85th” remark). I don't think that it was said that the Ballard High northern border would be moved south; what I recall is that it was said that populations in the north end were “not well balanced” (whatever that means) and that this would probably result in some changes to the HS boundaries. I don't think Ballard was specifically referenced, and I don't think that there was any indication that any boundary change was expected to specifically move the boundary south of 85th. That's not to say, of course, that that's not what'll happen–who knows?–, but I do think that there was no indication that that specific outcome was expected.
10 kim // Oct 16, 2009 at 3:56 pm
just an observation. regarding this topic, there are zero comments on the magnolia blog, 9 (before mine) on the qa blog and 100+ now on the Ballard side. i'm not saying that THIS the blog to end all blogs and discuss, but where does/do qa and magnolia discuss? maybe this hasn't caught on and you actually meet face to face. curious. it sounds like we have city government and the school board to thank for the selling off of the qa hs. take some of the money from the tunnel and reroute it to education? now there's a bright idea!
11 Mag98199 // Oct 16, 2009 at 5:08 pm
“They should go to Ingraham,” one man said to a thundering applause.”
The kids in Ballard live closer to Ingraham than the Mag/QA kids . . . let the Ballard kids attend Ingraham!
12 Emjay // Oct 16, 2009 at 5:10 pm
Serendipity?
13 KKP // Oct 17, 2009 at 10:01 pm
I wouldn't be too alarmed by the lack of comments on the Mag/QA blog. On any given entry, typically the myballard blog will have many more comments then comments than entries to the Magnolia/QA blog. I've been reading both since they launched and most stories on myballard will have lots of comments. Just because we're not commenting on blogs doesn't mean Mag/QA parents aren't following and providing feedback on the map issue.
I do agree though that if you like and have feedback re: the new assignment plan it is important to express that. Now. It is important that the voices of Mag/QA parents are heard in equal measure.
The main site is here: http://www.seattleschools.org/area/newassign/in... (there is also a survey you can take that is linked to this page)
The maps are here: http://www.seattleschools.org/area/boundarymaps...
Comments can also be emailed to: newassign@seattleschools.org
A high school wish list could include making Lincoln a high school to alleviate what will be continued growth. All these elementary kids packed into Mag/QA and N of ship canal schools will need to go to high school…
14 Structural // Oct 19, 2009 at 4:21 pm
But I bet if we named it 'Malcolm X high School', you'd all be demanding your kids be sent to Ingraham.
15 Mac // Oct 19, 2009 at 9:04 pm
Thanks for the links KKP. If anyone is interested in this issue, please email all your friends these links. It is important that we let the school board know our point of view now. It will be much harder to convince them to change their minds again if they decide that we don't need a neighborhood high school after all. From my experience, the school board seems to believe that they can determine public opinion by how much or how little people complain. Other more sophisticated organizations choose to poll their constituents…the school board uses the gripe-meter.
16 Mac // Oct 19, 2009 at 11:04 pm
Thanks for the links KKP. If anyone is interested in this issue, please email all your friends these links. It is important that we let the school board know our point of view now. It will be much harder to convince them to change their minds again if they decide that we don't need a neighborhood high school after all. From my experience, the school board seems to believe that they can determine public opinion by how much or how little people complain. Other more sophisticated organizations choose to poll their constituents…the school board uses the gripe-meter.
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