1,500 might switch schools

By Rachel Tuinstra

Seattle Times Eastside bureau

Some 1,500 Northshore students may be asked to attend a different school next year under a proposal that would balance enrollment among the district's overcrowded and under-enrolled schools.

The Northshore School District board Tuesday evening heard the proposal that would affect some 9 percent of the district's 20,000 students and would change the boundaries for eight elementary schools, including Fernwood, Crystal Springs, Canyon Creek, Kokanee, Frank Love, Lockwood, Shelton View and Westhill.

All six of the district's regular junior highs and all three of the district's high schools would be affected to varying degrees.

The board is expected to vote on the plan in November, and it may reject, approve or tweak the proposal. Any changes to school boundaries would go into effect next school year.

The plan is to shift which neighborhoods feed into elementary schools so that all students attend a school that is close to them. The shift should allow schools that are overcrowded, or schools that have too few students, to balance their enrollment, said Karen Forys, district superintendent.

For instance, Fernwood Elementary, the most overcrowded school in the district, would send some of its students to Canyon Creek Elementary. Canyon Creek will send some students to Kokanee, Frank Love and Shelton View elementary schools.

The changes to elementary-school boundaries may also shift where a student attends junior high or high school.

Open houses


Northshore School District will hold four open houses for parents and the community about proposed changes to school boundaries. Open houses will start at 7 p.m. and will be held on:

Oct. 4 in the Leota Junior High cafeteria, 19301 168th Ave. N.E., Woodinville.

Oct. 11 in the Canyon Creek Elementary gym, 21400 Fifth Ave. S.E., Bothell.

Oct. 18 in the Timbercrest Junior High cafeteria, 19115 215th Way N.E., Woodinville.

Nov. 14 in the Canyon Park Junior High cafeteria, 21400 35th Ave. S.E., Bothell.

More information is available at: schoolcenter.nsd.org/education/

Secondary-school boundary changes will be in keeping with the changes to elementary-school boundaries, so some students would be asked to attend different junior-high or high schools next year.

However, students who will be juniors and seniors next year could opt to stay at their current high school until they graduate.

Students who are enrolled in a special program or alternative school would not be affected by the changes, said Susan Stoltzfus, spokeswoman for the district. Elementary and junior-high students who don't want to change schools can apply for a waiver, Stoltzfus said.

The reason why some schools have too many students and other schools have seen enrollment drop is linked to new home development and the Urban Growth Boundary, which runs through the middle of the school district.

Under the state's Growth Management Act, construction is largely prohibited on the east side of the boundary, and the district is seeing student enrollment decrease in that area.

Development is allowed on the west side, and in areas near Bothell in Snohomish County, new homes and enrollment are growing rapidly.

Fernwood Elementary, which is in the middle of much of the home construction, has been anticipating the release of the enrollment-balancing proposal since last year, said Sarah White, administrative intern at the school.

The school is maxed out at more than 600 students, and with more than 1,000 homes expected to be built in the surrounding area in the next several years, something needs to be done soon, district officials said.

"Parents, staff and the community are eager to hear about the district's plans to balance things out," White said.

Rachel Tuinstra: 206-515-5637 or rtuinstra@seattletimes.com

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