Everett, Wash.
Published: Monday, September 29, 2008

Edmonds considers closing Woodway and Evergreen elementary schools

Woodway and Evergreen elementary schools could be closed to save the district money.

By Kaitlin Manry
Herald Writer

 LYNNWOOD -- Rhoni Gendron dreads the days when she will no longer walk her children to Woodway Elementary in Edmonds. She fears that time is coming soon.

The Edmonds School Board is considering closing Woodway and Evergreen Elementary School in Mountlake Terrace next fall. Parents and others in the community are expected to debate the possible Woodway closure at a public hearing at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the district office, 20420 68th Ave. W. in Lynnwood. A public hearing about Evergreen Elementary is scheduled for Oct. 14.

With around 210 students, Woodway is the smallest school in the district, and rumors about its potential closure have circulated for years. In June, district administrators sent a letter to families informing them that Woodway and Evergreen could be on the chopping block.

With enrollment falling and food and fuel prices rising, the district has struggled to balance its budget in recent years. Last spring, the district made $3.3 million in budget reductions, including consolidating bus routes, cutting an alternative high school program and slashing special-education funding. District officials expect each of their 21 elementary schools to cost around $722,000 to operate this school year, not including salaries.

"It is with regret that we have to consider a plan for school closure, but it has become necessary," assistant superintendents Ellen Kahan and Sue Venable wrote in a letter to parents in June.

The school board is scheduled to vote on the school closures on Dec. 16.

Most Woodway parents accept that the school will close and are now focusing on where their children will be sent next year, said Gendron, who is a member of the Citizens Planning Committee that has been studying the closures.

"We don't want our school to close, but it seems like the decision has already been made," she said. "I just think they need to keep the kids together as much as possible. If it costs them a little more for transportation, so be it."



Reporter Kaitlin Manry: 425-339-3292 or kmanry@heraldnet.com.

Four public hearings scheduled

The Edmonds School Board has scheduled four public hearings to discuss possible school closings due to declining enrollment. Hearings about Woodway Elementary are scheduled for 6 p.m. on Tuesday and Nov. 12. Hearings about Evergreen Elementary are scheduled for 6 p.m. on Oct. 14 and Dec. 9.

The hearings are at the Edmonds School District office, 20420 68th Ave. W. in Lynnwood.
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