Issaquah to seek site for new middle school

The Issaquah School Board has voted, once again, to try to find land to build a new middle school on the Sammamish Plateau.

During its Tuesday night meeting, the board also decided to move forward with rebuilding Issaquah High School to hold 1,600 students. The board made the late-night decision after listening to more than a dozen teachers, parents and students, many upset about a recommendation to turn a successful ninth-grade-only campus into a middle school.

"When I was hired at [Pacific Cascade Freshman Campus], it was a dream come true," said Caroline Friesen, who teaches world studies at the school. "I know money is tight, but I don't think you've looked hard enough if converting a school like PCFC is an option. It breaks my heart."

Under the proposal put forward by Superintendent Janet Barry during the meeting, the district would have converted Pacific Cascade Freshman Campus into a middle school by 2009 instead of building a new middle school. Barry also proposed expanding and rebuilding Issaquah High School and remodeling and expanding Skyline High so that each would have the capacity for 1,800 students, to accommodate the ninth-graders there.

The board's decision to move forward with rebuilding Issaquah High for 1,600 is in keeping with a $241.9 million bond measure voters approved in February.

Some Issaquah middle schools have more than 1,000 students. During recent community meetings, residents told the district they want smaller schools. The board's decision to move forward with rebuilding Issaquah High means it may be 2010 or 2011 before the school district can open a new middle school to relieve overcrowding, said Dean Mack, assistant superintendent of finance and operations.

The district has already looked at buying a parcel of land on the Sammamish Plateau for a middle school, but after long negotiations, the board concluded the land was too expensive and was not a good site, Barry said.

"There is one thing that does stand out in the meetings, and that's that the community prefers to have smaller schools across all grade spans," said Brian Deagle, a School Board member. "I would like to see us push the issue harder before we say we don't have any land for the middle school."

Also, because a recent demographic study showed that enrollment in the district will level off and may begin to drop in the next five years, some district officials believe it is unwise to add school buildings, Barry said.

The district is also expecting to have to cut its budget again next year, and operating a new school is an ongoing cost the district can't afford, Barry said.

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