Shuttering Trafton Elementary School won’t help, group tells Arlington School District

Published 10:21 pm Tuesday, May 25, 2010

By Gale Fiege

Herald Writer

ARLINGTON — Closing Trafton Elementary probably won’t save Arlington School District any money.

That was the argument presented Monday by the group Keep Trafton Alive. The final public hearing on the proposed closure of the historic school attracted another standing-room-only crowd and a lineup of 32 speakers at the school board meeting.

District officials say the proposed closure of Trafton could save an estimated $277,000 in yearly operating costs at a time when the district is looking at a $1.7 million budget shortfall.

But Terri Forslof of Keep Trafton Alive told the board that if the elementary is closed, many students will leave the school district.

If 25 percent of the current 135 Trafton students don’t enroll in Arlington schools for next year, the loss of state funding per student nearly equals the district’s estimated savings, Forslof said. Last school year, the state paid $9,900 per pupil.

Parents threatening to take their students out of the district if Trafton is closed include those who would teach their children at home, send them to private schools or enroll them in other school districts, Forslof said.

“These kids are going,” she said. “And they will take the money with them.”

In addition, Keep Trafton Alive members disagree with district officials about the cost of needed repairs at the elementary.

Several old portable classrooms are stationed outside the main school building, and one of those is 40 years old, district spokeswoman Misti Gilman said. The school bell tower leaks, restrooms are insufficient and other problems add up to what the district estimates is nearly $1 million in long-range repairs.

The Trafton group estimates that about $23,000 would take care of the immediate problems, Forslof said.

The Trafton parents group has applied for non-profit status and plans to apply for grants. The group also has collected $18,000 in cash and pledges for repair work and has a $4,300 commitment from Martin Lumber and Hardware in Everett to repair the bell tower and restrooms in the main building, Forslof said.

“Trafton has been singled out for closure based on perception and not data,” she said.

After the meeting, Gilman disagreed.

“School funding is complicated. It’s not the same as business finance,” Gilman said. “It would take two days of one-on-one explanation for anybody to understand it.”

County Councilman John Koster told the school board that he is aware that emotions don’t pay the bills in tough economic times.

“However, I think there are other options,” Koster said. Closing one of Arlington’s other elementary schools might be more cost effective, he said.

The Trafton school building is listed on the state Heritage Register and the National Register of Historic Places. Established in 1888, Trafton is considered among the oldest continuously operating schools in the state.

Chris Moore of the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation told the school board that the cost to repair the old school building may be much less now than it was during the housing boom several years ago. He also urged the board to consider that in 10 years the school district may grow and need all of its schools, including Trafton.

“From a preservation standpoint, the best use of a historic building is its original purpose,” Moore said.

Trafton parent Anne Yeckley presented a petition with 3,000 signatures against the closure.

“Please don’t sacrifice our school for a temporary budget problem,” Yeckley said.

Arlington School Board members have set a deadline of June 14 to decide the future of Trafton. State law requires that the school district conduct a review before closing any school.

Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com.

More on Trafton

More information about the possible closure of Trafton school, including letters for and against the proposal, is available at www.asd.wednet.edu. The parent-community group has posted information at www.keeptraftonalive.com. Donations to the Trafton school restoration fund can be made at Frontier Bank in Arlington.