Status: Closed — this petition is no longer accepting signatures.
Final supporters
Between 2012 and 2013, the Bainbridge Island School District convened a School Configuration Committee to analyze the District's facilities and projected needs in order to make a recommendation to the School Board regarding the best configuration of the schools. A primary purpose of the analysis was to ensure that the District's projected capital spending choices would be in line with projected district enrollment.
https://www.scribd.com/document/341008199/Charge-to-BISD-Configuration-Committee
The Committee's work was paused in 2013 when there was a surprise influx of 118 more new students than the district had projected.
https://www.scribd.com/document/341008682/SCC-Minutes-11-13-2013-4
The Committee, which at the time it was put on hold was adamantly opposed to the District's proposal to close the Commodore school building, and to divide and relocate the various Options programs housed therein, was never reconvened.
https://www.scribd.com/document/341009048/SCC-Minutes-5-28-2013-pdf-4
Now, suddenly and with only weeks for public input, the District is attempting to rush forward the same option that was rejected by the Configuration Committee in order to address a projected deficit in the 2017-18 District Budget, thus circumventing the public process and longterm, district-wide planning required for such a significant reconfiguration decision.
http://www.bisd303.org/Page/12177
_________________________________________________________
THEREFORE, in light of the above stated facts, we the undersigned hereby request that the Bainbridge Island School District withdraw from its consideration any proposal to do a piecemeal reconfiguration of our schools as part of its 2017-18 budget planning, including its proposal to close Commodore and relocate multiple programs and schools for the following reasons:
1. Reconfiguration will have a significant impact on all the affected schools with virtually no opportunity for public process; and
2. Reconfiguration of our schools, which informs the significant capital spending the district is set to undertake, is not a budget line item but a longterm, district-wide planning process that requires a full analysis and full public process.
(NOTE: Please state your city of residence if you leave a comment. Depending on your internet provider, a Bainbridge Island resident's city may automatically show up as Poulsbo, Bremerton, Seattle... even Tacoma!)
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Updates
March 6, 2017
The level of engagement this petition has received confirms that our community remains deeply invested in the future of our school facilities. Your collective response demonstrates that the abrupt nature of this proposal is unacceptable to those who value careful planning.
12 Comments
I believe there is a fundamental lack of understanding here, with regard to what the Options program is all about and it's importance and relevance to not only the students and families, but to the entire community. To have one of the "options" be relocate EHHS to BHS and the 7/8 Odyssey program to Woodward makes no sense. Furthermore, it goes completely against the purpose of the programs in the first place. I urge BISD to listen carefully and thoughtfully, and to take TIME. This is too important to the lives of our children to be making such major and impactful decisions without the benefit of time and care.
Breaking up the options program and moving them into separate buildings would negatively impact the students currently attending these programs, especially the students in the 7/8 & EHHS programs.
Collaborative agreements are the best kind - every stakeholder has had a say and everyone has "buy in." If the district wants to create a plan that benefits everyone, they should take the time to do it right. Please don't rush this decision.
As recent as just one year ago families relied on what the district represented to them when they took the leap and joined the Options community---"here's your school; this is your principal; this is the unique space that supports this unique learning environment, this program is separated from the traditional programs" etc....). The district now proposes to fundamentally dismantle the (ultra successful and popular) Options programs under the guise it wants to grow options. Say what? You don't grow a program by dismantling it. There is nothing pedagocially consistent with what makes for a good options program mentioned in the district's proposal (there's not even a mention of any pedagogical thought to the district's proposal). The district says that now, in March, it wants to "begin the conversation" about all of these drastic moves that would in theory be completed within 5 months. It's simple too little, too late: there's not enough time to put this together. It's so late there's not even enough notice for families who would go elsewhere (e.g. Eagle Harbor students) to budget for or even apply in time to transition to a non BISD school. The way this is being handled it creates a fundamental unfairness to families, some of whom moved to BI to make their high school at Eagle Harbor, and now will scramble to start over at another high school. This might be a well-intentioned attempt at a budget fix and -----after a decade of more demand for options programs than the district provides--- an effort to finally address the need to expand options programs (before more families choose private school in the lower grades, which itself significantly lowers BI enrollments). But the plan is not well thought out, bereft of sound pedagogical principles as to what makes a successful options program, and is proposed so late in the school year that the district perhaps unwittingly exposes itself to being fairly criticized for putting forth an irresponsible proposal.
Take the time for an open public process!
Please listen to your kids! Moving Eagle Harbor High onto the BHS campus will degrade this unique program.
More time is required to relocate the Commodore Options programs.
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Status: Closed — this petition is no longer accepting signatures.
Final supporters
Between 2012 and 2013, the Bainbridge Island School District convened a School Configuration Committee to analyze the District's facilities and projected needs in order to make a recommendation to the School Board regarding the best configuration of the schools. A primary purpose of the analysis was to ensure that the District's projected capital spending choices would be in line with projected district enrollment.
https://www.scribd.com/document/341008199/Charge-to-BISD-Configuration-Committee
The Committee's work was paused in 2013 when there was a surprise influx of 118 more new students than the district had projected.
https://www.scribd.com/document/341008682/SCC-Minutes-11-13-2013-4
The Committee, which at the time it was put on hold was adamantly opposed to the District's proposal to close the Commodore school building, and to divide and relocate the various Options programs housed therein, was never reconvened.
https://www.scribd.com/document/341009048/SCC-Minutes-5-28-2013-pdf-4
Now, suddenly and with only weeks for public input, the District is attempting to rush forward the same option that was rejected by the Configuration Committee in order to address a projected deficit in the 2017-18 District Budget, thus circumventing the public process and longterm, district-wide planning required for such a significant reconfiguration decision.
http://www.bisd303.org/Page/12177
_________________________________________________________
THEREFORE, in light of the above stated facts, we the undersigned hereby request that the Bainbridge Island School District withdraw from its consideration any proposal to do a piecemeal reconfiguration of our schools as part of its 2017-18 budget planning, including its proposal to close Commodore and relocate multiple programs and schools for the following reasons:
1. Reconfiguration will have a significant impact on all the affected schools with virtually no opportunity for public process; and
2. Reconfiguration of our schools, which informs the significant capital spending the district is set to undertake, is not a budget line item but a longterm, district-wide planning process that requires a full analysis and full public process.
(NOTE: Please state your city of residence if you leave a comment. Depending on your internet provider, a Bainbridge Island resident's city may automatically show up as Poulsbo, Bremerton, Seattle... even Tacoma!)
Updates
March 6, 2017
The level of engagement this petition has received confirms that our community remains deeply invested in the future of our school facilities. Your collective response demonstrates that the abrupt nature of this proposal is unacceptable to those who value careful planning.
12 Comments
In addition to the woefully inadequate public process and lack of consideration of any longterm planning & configuration impacts, the impact of the District's proposal on some of our community's most vulnerable kids has been completely disregarded. Taking EHHS, where many kids who would not survive on the BHS campus, and who have found a learning environment where they can thrive (academically, intellectually, socially and emotionally) and relocating it onto the main BHS campus is myopic at best, and arguably downright cruel.
I believe there is a fundamental lack of understanding here, with regard to what the Options program is all about and it's importance and relevance to not only the students and families, but to the entire community. To have one of the "options" be relocate EHHS to BHS and the 7/8 Odyssey program to Woodward makes no sense. Furthermore, it goes completely against the purpose of the programs in the first place. I urge BISD to listen carefully and thoughtfully, and to take TIME. This is too important to the lives of our children to be making such major and impactful decisions without the benefit of time and care.
Breaking up the options program and moving them into separate buildings would negatively impact the students currently attending these programs, especially the students in the 7/8 & EHHS programs.
Collaborative agreements are the best kind - every stakeholder has had a say and everyone has "buy in." If the district wants to create a plan that benefits everyone, they should take the time to do it right. Please don't rush this decision.
As recent as just one year ago families relied on what the district represented to them when they took the leap and joined the Options community---"here's your school; this is your principal; this is the unique space that supports this unique learning environment, this program is separated from the traditional programs" etc....). The district now proposes to fundamentally dismantle the (ultra successful and popular) Options programs under the guise it wants to grow options. Say what? You don't grow a program by dismantling it. There is nothing pedagocially consistent with what makes for a good options program mentioned in the district's proposal (there's not even a mention of any pedagogical thought to the district's proposal). The district says that now, in March, it wants to "begin the conversation" about all of these drastic moves that would in theory be completed within 5 months. It's simple too little, too late: there's not enough time to put this together. It's so late there's not even enough notice for families who would go elsewhere (e.g. Eagle Harbor students) to budget for or even apply in time to transition to a non BISD school. The way this is being handled it creates a fundamental unfairness to families, some of whom moved to BI to make their high school at Eagle Harbor, and now will scramble to start over at another high school. This might be a well-intentioned attempt at a budget fix and -----after a decade of more demand for options programs than the district provides--- an effort to finally address the need to expand options programs (before more families choose private school in the lower grades, which itself significantly lowers BI enrollments). But the plan is not well thought out, bereft of sound pedagogical principles as to what makes a successful options program, and is proposed so late in the school year that the district perhaps unwittingly exposes itself to being fairly criticized for putting forth an irresponsible proposal.
Take the time for an open public process!
Please listen to your kids! Moving Eagle Harbor High onto the BHS campus will degrade this unique program.
More time is required to relocate the Commodore Options programs.
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In addition to the woefully inadequate public process and lack of consideration of any longterm planning & configuration impacts, the impact of the District's proposal on some of our community's most vulnerable kids has been completely disregarded. Taking EHHS, where many kids who would not survive on the BHS campus, and who have found a learning environment where they can thrive (academically, intellectually, socially and emotionally) and relocating it onto the main BHS campus is myopic at best, and arguably downright cruel.