Published: Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Arlington school board votes to close historic school
ARLINGTON — Members of a group that fought to keep historic Trafton school open anticipated the decision on Monday night, but it still hit them hard.
As the Arlington School Board was polled, weeping could be heard in the hallway outside.
The board voted unanimously to shutter Trafton school, which was established in 1888 and is listed on the state Heritage Register and the National Register of Historic Places.
It is considered the oldest continually operating public school in the state. That title will change for good on Friday when the faculty locks the doors at the end of the last day of school.
Faced with declining enrollment, decreased state funding and a budget deficit of about $1.7 million, Arlington's school board had a difficult decision to make, board president Jeff Huleatt said. The school district expects to save more than $258,000 a year by not operating an elementary school at Trafton.
“A quarter of a million dollars is a lot when you have a budget hole of a million and a half, on top of all the cuts we made last year,” Huleatt said. “It looks like things will get tougher before they get better.”
When it came time for the vote, students and parents weren't the only ones in tears.
Board member Kay Duskin cried as she told the standing-room-only crowd that she was under a lot of pressure.
“It's not just the 135 students at Trafton, but all 5,300 kids I am responsible for,” Duskin said.
Standing outside the school district administration building after the vote, Trafton's second-grade teacher Todd McLaughlin tried to keep his emotions in check as he hugged some Trafton students.
“It's a sad day for Arlington,” McLaughlin said. “We've been preparing the kids for this by saying that sometimes in life, things aren't fair. The students will be successful wherever they land.”
When it was announced four months ago that the school board would review the proposed closure of Trafton Elementary, McLaughlin talked about the history of the school and the fact that one of his students this year is a fifth-generation Trafton pupil.
“The real problem is in Olympia, because the state is not adequately funding schools,” McLaughlin said then.
Earlier in Monday's school board meeting, a group of classified employees asked the board to delay a vote to layoff 14 classroom aides, bus drivers and other staff. Two Arlington High School students also pleaded with the board to rescind the district's reduction-in-force notice to their beloved Spanish teacher.
Trafton was the focus of the meeting, however.
A vocal and large group of Trafton parents, alumni and community members for months argued with great emotion that the school shouldn't close.
“We worked tirelessly to present the facts to the board,” Keep Trafton Alive spokeswoman Terri Forslof said. “They chose not to look at all the facts.”
The parent-community group insisted that the proposed closure would backfire on the school district.
Many parents are threatening to pull their children from the Arlington School District, resulting in an even greater funding loss from the state, Forslof said. Other parents warned that school levies might not be supported in the Trafton community anymore, and at least one parent carried a sign displaying the names of the board members whose positions are up for election this year.
Huleatt, whose own children went to school at Trafton, advised parents not to make their children bitter about the board's decision to close their school.
“We don't want to see any students leave,” he said. “We know we could lose public support and that's unfortunate. But people need to take stock of who they really are hurting when they vote against schools.”
Gale Fiege” 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com.
As the Arlington School Board was polled, weeping could be heard in the hallway outside.
The board voted unanimously to shutter Trafton school, which was established in 1888 and is listed on the state Heritage Register and the National Register of Historic Places.
It is considered the oldest continually operating public school in the state. That title will change for good on Friday when the faculty locks the doors at the end of the last day of school.
Faced with declining enrollment, decreased state funding and a budget deficit of about $1.7 million, Arlington's school board had a difficult decision to make, board president Jeff Huleatt said. The school district expects to save more than $258,000 a year by not operating an elementary school at Trafton.
“A quarter of a million dollars is a lot when you have a budget hole of a million and a half, on top of all the cuts we made last year,” Huleatt said. “It looks like things will get tougher before they get better.”
When it came time for the vote, students and parents weren't the only ones in tears.
Board member Kay Duskin cried as she told the standing-room-only crowd that she was under a lot of pressure.
“It's not just the 135 students at Trafton, but all 5,300 kids I am responsible for,” Duskin said.
Standing outside the school district administration building after the vote, Trafton's second-grade teacher Todd McLaughlin tried to keep his emotions in check as he hugged some Trafton students.
“It's a sad day for Arlington,” McLaughlin said. “We've been preparing the kids for this by saying that sometimes in life, things aren't fair. The students will be successful wherever they land.”
When it was announced four months ago that the school board would review the proposed closure of Trafton Elementary, McLaughlin talked about the history of the school and the fact that one of his students this year is a fifth-generation Trafton pupil.
“The real problem is in Olympia, because the state is not adequately funding schools,” McLaughlin said then.
Earlier in Monday's school board meeting, a group of classified employees asked the board to delay a vote to layoff 14 classroom aides, bus drivers and other staff. Two Arlington High School students also pleaded with the board to rescind the district's reduction-in-force notice to their beloved Spanish teacher.
Trafton was the focus of the meeting, however.
A vocal and large group of Trafton parents, alumni and community members for months argued with great emotion that the school shouldn't close.
“We worked tirelessly to present the facts to the board,” Keep Trafton Alive spokeswoman Terri Forslof said. “They chose not to look at all the facts.”
The parent-community group insisted that the proposed closure would backfire on the school district.
Many parents are threatening to pull their children from the Arlington School District, resulting in an even greater funding loss from the state, Forslof said. Other parents warned that school levies might not be supported in the Trafton community anymore, and at least one parent carried a sign displaying the names of the board members whose positions are up for election this year.
Huleatt, whose own children went to school at Trafton, advised parents not to make their children bitter about the board's decision to close their school.
“We don't want to see any students leave,” he said. “We know we could lose public support and that's unfortunate. But people need to take stock of who they really are hurting when they vote against schools.”
Gale Fiege” 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com.
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