School Closure Jockeying

Phyllis Fletcher
12/12/2008

How does a school save itself from closure? One way is to point the finger at other schools. And tell the District to close them instead. That's what parents at Arbor Heights Elementary did in West Seattle. For now, it seems to have worked. KUOW's Phyllis Fletcher has more.

IF YOU GO TO A SCHOOL BOARD MEETING, SOMETIMES YOU HEAR THIS:

IMPASSIONED APPLAUSE. USUALLY, IN SUPPORT OF A PARENT OR TEACHER WHO PLEADS WITH THE SCHOOL BOARD TO KEEP THEIR BUILDING OPEN.

BUT THIS APPLAUSE WAS FOR A PARENT WHO SAID, 'GO AHEAD.'

IWAMOTO: "Show me and the general public that the district follows its own guidelines and logic by closing a high school."

ERIC IWAMOTO IS CO–PRESIDENT OF THE PARENT–TEACHER–STUDENT ASSOCIATION OF ARBOR HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. HIS SCHOOL HAD BEEN ON THE LIST.

SO HE AND HIS FELLOW PTSA MEMBERS TOLD THEIR SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER, STEVE SUNDQUIST, TO LOOK AT CLOSING RAINIER BEACH HIGH SCHOOL AND COOPER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL INSTEAD.

THEN, BOTH SCHOOLS ENDED UP ON A CLOSURE LIST LAST WEEK. AND ARBOR HEIGHTS WAS SPARED.

SUZETTE RILEY IS CO–PTSA–PRESIDENT WITH ERIC IWAMOTO AT ARBOR HEIGHTS.

RILEY: "Uh, you know, it's a really awkward position."

RILEY SAYS THEY TALKED ABOUT IT. "SHOULD WE JUST TRY TO DEFEND OUR SCHOOL? OR SHOULD WE TRY TO PROVE THAT OTHER ONES SHOULD BE CLOSED?"

RILEY: "Ultimately we decided that that was the safest position."

AND SHE ADMITS: SOME OF THE FACTORS THAT LED ARBOR HEIGHTS TO POINT THE FINGER AT COOPER AND RAINIER BEACH ARE THE SAME THINGS THAT GIVE ARBOR HEIGHTS AN ADVANTAGE IN THE CLOSURE PROCESS.

ARBOR HEIGHTS DOESN'T HAVE A MAJORITY OF FAMILIES IN POVERTY. COOPER AND RAINIER BEACH DO. POVERTY AFFECTS A SCHOOL'S POPULARITY, WHICH IS A FACTOR IN THE CLOSURE PROCESS. AND RILEY SAYS POVERTY ALSO AFFECTS HOW EASY IT IS FOR PARENTS TO ORGANIZE WHEN THEIR SCHOOL IS UNDER THE GUN.

RILEY: "Demographically, we may have an advantage. Um, I think that may be true. But we're all still working parents and just trying to do the best for our kids."

RILEY'S CO–PRESIDENT SPOKE CANDIDLY ON A MESSAGE BOARD FOR OTHER ARBOR HEIGHTS PARENTS. HIS MESSAGES WERE THEN PUBLICIZED BY A SOUTH SEATTLE BLOGGER. ERIC IWAMOTO SAID TO KEEP THEIR SCHOOL OPEN, THE PTSA HAD TO OFFER UP A 'SACRIFICIAL LAMB'–ANOTHER SCHOOL.

WILLIAMS: "That's blasphemy."

SHELLEY WILLIAMS HAS TWO KIDS AT COOPER. SHE WENT THERE WHEN SHE WAS A KID. SHE COMPARES THE CLOSURE PROCESS TO A BOARD GAME. AND SAYS A LOT OF PARENTS AT COOPER DON'T EVEN KNOW THE RULES.

WILLIAMS: "We have 6 parents I can think of right off the top of my head who have been in this country less than two years, and spent more than two years prior in a refugee camp. They don't even know this system."

SO SHE WONDERS, HOW CAN THEY POSSIBLY BE EXPECTED TO ORDER T–SHIRTS, SHOW UP TO SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS, GIVE PUBLIC TESTIMONY, AND TALK TO THEIR SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS?

BUT BOTH SHE AND SUZETTE RILEY SAY THAT'S WHAT PARENTS HAVE TO DO IF THEY WANT TO GET THEIR SCHOOLS OFF THE LIST BEFORE THE SCHOOL BOARD VOTES ON IT NEXT MONTH. PHYLLIS FLETCHER, KUOW NEWS.

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