2/26/2009 11:13:00 AM Letter: Comparing Grant Street and Mountain View elementary schools
On Feb. 25, the PT School Board is expected to have voted on the school closure issue. While the desire to have a school on a property with a mountain view is admirable, there are many factors that must be considered when choosing both short- and long-term elementary school sites.
First, both Mountain View and Grant Street main buildings are aged and have heating, plumbing, security, fire sprinkler, seismic and other issues.
Second, acreage to provide adequate space for a school designed to meet the education needs of 550 elementary students, parking, transportation, playfields and community use of facilities and future expansion for the next 50 years is a factor. State guidelines recommend 12 acres.
Third, distance to the population it serves.
Grant is closer to the majority of the elementary student population who live within one mile of a school, with 42 percent living within one mile of Grant, 28 percent within one mile of Mountain View, and 12 percent within one mile of both schools
Grant Street is closer to more affordable family housing, which is important given that over 53 percent of our elementary children will qualify for free/reduced lunch next year. Fifty-two percent of free/reduced lunch families live within one mile of Grant Street, while only 21 percent live within one mile of Mountain View, with 13 percent living within one mile of both.
Grant Street is closer to most after-school childcare facilities, with almost one-third of the students walking to daycare before and after school.
Factors such as the ability to provide space for birth-preK, Title 1 needs, speech language pathology and physical therapy must be considered. Grant Street campus is recommended also due to the following: Fewer staff are required to move to the Grant Street campus, 12.5 staff to Grant vs. 21 to Mountain View. Grant Street already has bathrooms in kindergarten classrooms and pre-K classrooms. Grant Street facilities and acreage can support housing students without an additional move during future new construction of a new school.
Cafeteria, gym and library space issues are solvable and manageable until a replacement school can be built. Typical K-4 schools of similar size do not have two gyms, two PE teachers or two music teachers.
Decisions have to be made now that will set our district up for success in both the short- and long-term planning of our future of education in Port Townsend.
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