LAKE STEVENS — The Lake Stevens School District says most of its schools are over capacity, and most students who do not live within the boundaries of the district will not be able to attend them next year.
When there is space, the district allows for nonresident attendance variances, where students who do not live in Lake Stevens can seek permission from their home district and from Lake Stevens to go to school here.
For the 2017-18 school year, there is no room in any of the district’s six elementary schools, at North Lake Middle School or at Lake Stevens High School, according to a letter sent home to families earlier this month. A seventh elementary school is under construction now to alleviate the crowding. Even with the new building in 2018-19, the district expects most of its schools to remain at capacity.
Students who don’t live in the district must reapply each year for a variance. About 100 students who currently have variances are expected to be unable to return to the district next year due to the lack of space. Many of those families did not reapply this year because they knew it was unlikely they would be granted the variance, district spokeswoman Jayme Taylor said.
“We know this is very difficult for students and families who have spent multiple years in the Lake Stevens School District,” Superintendent Amy Beth Cook wrote to families. “We understand how much of an impact this has.”
The hope is that they have enough notice to make arrangements for next year, she wrote.
There still are spots at Lake Stevens Middle School and Cavelero Mid High. However, nonresident students who attend Cavelero next year likely won’t be able to advance to Lake Stevens High School the following year because of crowding, Cook wrote.
Students who are in their last year at Cavelero now will be allowed to advance to Lake Stevens High School in 2017-18, and students who are at the high school can remain, though no new variances will be accepted.
The district’s updated policy calls for the enrollment capacity at each school to be reviewed annually. More growth is expected in Lake Stevens and around Snohomish County in the coming years.
If a student applies for a variance to a school where there are limited spaces available, applications are to be prioritized so that high school students can remain until graduation and students whose education, safety or health would be affected are able to stay in-district. Disciplinary problems or poor attendance can be cause for denying a variance.
Parents may appeal the district’s decision not to allow their child a nonresident variance. It must be in writing and submitted to the district within five days of receiving the denial.
Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com.
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