Dear Beaverton
School District Representatives,
Families in the
West Tualatin View Elementary (West TV) community are asking for your support in
favor of keeping homes north of Highway 26 in the Sunset High School boundary. The
proposed plan does not align with Beaverton School District Criteria for
Boundary Adjustments.
Negative Impact on
Safety, Transportation, and Proximity to School
Under the proposed
plan, students in the West TV community would have to commute further through highly
trafficked and dangerous areas during peak rush hour times via Cedar Hills Blvd or Route 217. It would increase
transportation costs, as additional busses would be needed to compensate for
the extra trips outside their typical boundaries. Additional time for drivers
would have to be allotted due to bus transfers, safe transportation, and
traffic delays. Furthermore, our children would have significantly less time to
participate in extra-curricular activities, complete their homework, and get
sufficient sleep.
Sunset HS is closer, more
accessible, and much quicker to travel to and from the West TV neighborhood
than Beaverton HS.
See: Data from the
Oregonian regarding traffic on Route 217
Minimizing
transitions/Impact on the Continuity in Coursework
Many families move
into the West TV community because of the strong community bond with the
schools. Our families have donated our time, money, and resources to support
Sunset High School for generations. Our children have siblings that go to
Sunset High. They play for Sunset Youth teams. They attend Sunset High Athletic
events. The proposed boundary change would sever the long-standing bond with
Sunset HS.
Children are
taught through the PYP program at West TV, and they continue their academic
work through the MYP program at Cedar Park. Sunset HS further continues this
academic path with its IB program. Beaverton HS does not have an IB program.
Since the educational objectives differ significantly between IB and AP
programs, the students’ education would be significantly disrupted.
Negative Impact on
Neighborhood Unity
The proposed plan
divides our neighborhood in two. Cedar Mill includes the area north of the
Sunset Highway which includes the West TV community. The proposal moves the
part of Cedar Mill south of Cornell Road to Beaverton HS, cutting the
neighborhood in half. We are part of the Cedar Mill Community. We support it’s
local economy. Cedar Mill is where we shop, go to the library, farmer’s market,
and post office.
Negative Financial
Impacts
These changes
would likely have a financial impact on families in the West Tualatin View
Elementary community. Many families decide where they buy a home based on the
school they want their kids to attend. Beaverton HS is a fine school, but it is
not what families intended when they chose to move to the West Tualatin View
neighborhood. Families may decide to leave this community so their kids can
attend their preferred school resulting in a decline in real estate values.
Given all these
negative impacts, we request that you vote to keep feeding the West TV
community into Sunset HS and move the new boundary south of Highway 26.
We would
appreciate your support in this decision.
Respectfully,
Residents of West
TV community
I have coached and sat on boards for our community for over 10 years to make it a better place for my children when they reach high school - this erodes the community we have built and the social and sports memberships our children have formed together. An advisory group or school district shouldn't be the ones to decide who determines the community structure or future ... it is the taxpayer and members of that community who should. As well, the school district should not make decisions that could significantly impact our home investments etc - like many people we have invested in the community because of the school quality, the demographics, and the well-being of our children and the peer group they belong to...