PORT ANGELES — “We have questions,” two mothers of Franklin Elementary School students told the Port Angeles School Board earlier this week.
Samantha Bowechop and Jane Wise, president and vice president of the Franklin School Parent-Teacher Organization, faced the board during the public comment period at Monday night’s meeting and asked several questions about the possible closure of their children’s school and the district’s potential plans for elementary reorganization.
“We want answers,” Bowechop said.
Because of declining enrollment and a loss of state funding, the district’s elementary school reorganization task force may recommend the closure of Franklin.
Three possible recommendations for the district’s solution to enrollment and funding problems were released last week for public comment, which will be accepted until 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 28.
The recommendations were not on the School Board agenda Monday night.
The board will consider approval of a plan when it meets at 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 12, in the Central Services Building at 216 E. Fourth St.
“No decision has been made,” board member Sarah Methner said.
All three plans would close the 57-year-old Franklin Elementary building, and two would create “banded” schools — placing kindergarten-through-second-grade classes in two schools and third-through-sixth-grade classes in two different schools.
The timing of Franklin’s closure would be up to the School Board if it approves a plan.
On Monday night, Bowechop and Wise were there to get answers for other Franklin parents, they said.
“PTO parents are asking us,” Wise said.
They shot off their questions rapid-fire.
What is the budget?
How much would be saved by shutting down Franklin?
How much time would our children be on buses?
What would the district spend on busing?”
“How big will classes be? You cannot tell me you can disperse 392 kids into four schools and not have overcrowded classrooms,” Bowechop said.
“There would be 25 or 30 kids in a class,” she said.
Bowechop also questioned school banding and the fate of Franklin’s multiage community program.
Under the plans that would create “banded” elementary schools, Bowechop said she would have children at four schools at one time.
“How do I divide my time equitably between four schools?” she asked.
Under two plans, programs such as multiage community learning and special education would all be placed in one remaining K-6 school.
Bowechop said her children would be transferring to that school and would not be in a banded school.
The board had no immediate answers for the two women.
“This is the third time I’ve been through this,” said board member Patti Happe.
Two other schools have been closed in the past 10 years.
The first two times, her own children’s schools were shut down, Happe said.
“I was PTO president of a school that was closed,” she said.
The district is running out of places to save money during very tight economic times, and the district gets less money per pupil when elementary school enrollment drops below 400 students per school, board members said.
What else could be cut? Happe asked.
Music and sports are a very small percentage of the district’s budget, and the community made it clear how important they are during the creation of the district’s recently created strategic plan, she said.
The task force will continue to meet, to digest additional data and to review more than 100 messages received by the district since it asked for public input last week.
“There is a huge amount of data and information, board member Steve Baxter said.
“It’s still early,” Baxter said. “There is a lot of analysis to do.”
There was one thing most board members said they wanted to make sure everyone knew: Nothing is final at this time.
The full text of the task force’s three proposed recommendations can be seen at www.portangelesschools.org.
An online survey at http://tinyurl.com/6mqfztc provides a place for members of the public to comment on each plan or offer ideas that may not have been considered by the task force.
Comments also will be accepted by email at info@portangelesschools.org or through the mail.
Mail can be sent to the Port Angeles School District, Attn: Elementary Reorganization Task Force, 216 E. Fourth St., Port Angeles, WA 98362.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
