February 27, 2023

Dr. Susan Leach, Superintendent Lori Oviatt, Director, District 1 Jodi Fletcher, Director, District 2 Carol Van Noy, Director, District 3 Danny Edwards, Director, District 4 Sabrina Parnell, Director, District 5 Riverview School District 15510 - 1st Ave NE Duvall, WA 98019

Dr. Leach and Directors of the Riverview School District,

We are a group of Riverview School District (RSD) stakeholders that includes primarily parents of current and former students of Eagle Rock Multi-age School (ERMA). We are concerned that the District’s recent statements and actions regarding the school’s future have not been evaluated thoroughly, and that closing the school will result in harm to the district’s academic performance, fiscal condition and, far more importantly, immediate and substantial harm to the students of ERMA. The purpose of this letter is to respectfully ask that the district’s staff constructively engage with stakeholders to preserve the legacy of ERMA for future generations. Specifically, we request that RSD staff provide a work session between this group, staff members, and board members to discuss the questions and issues raised above. We understand that a public hearing is scheduled for March 14, 2023. This is important, but a public hearing doesn’t replace a work session that allows for collaboration. Therefore, we request that the RSD staff and the Board schedule a work session with ERMA stakeholders by March 14th, 2023. In ad-hoc informal meetings with ERMA families, the school district stated that it is facing financial hardships. The exact nature of these hardships was not shared, nor was any sort of rationale demonstrating that closing ERMA would materially help resolve these hardships. District staff stated that they would be recommending the closure of the school at the end of the 2022-2023 school year to the RSD board. This decision was presented as a fait accompli, with no input from ERMA families. We recognize that the district staff has the authority to consider all options, including school closures, but the RSD Board has specific policies and procedures (RSD Policy 6883) regarding guidance and community input when school closure is considered. Specifically, Policy 6883 stipulates a written analysis followed by a ninety-day period with community hearings. These policies and procedures are required by state law (RCW 28A.335.020) and the RSD is required to follow them and include the community in this process. ERMA families have specific questions regarding the rationale for the proposed school closure. We are requesting answers to the following questions:

1. RSD Fiscal Condition: RSD staff stated that RSD is facing budget shortfalls due to declining enrollment. a. What is the source of the budget shortfalls? Is it enrollment-based state funding? b. Hundreds of new homes are in construction or planning within the RSD. Has the RSD projected how the addition of homes and new families will impact future enrollment? c. How much money will the RSD save by closing ERMA? What percent of the shortfall is this? d. ERMA is inexpensive to operate according to RSD data. Are school district staff aware of this? e. Will RSD prepare and share a specific plan to address the budget deficit and allow for community input before making the recommendation to close ERMA.

2. ERMA Physical Condition: RSD staff stated that it will need to expend funds on ERMA’s buildings to address deferred maintenance items. a. Is there a formal report on the buildings’ conditions? b. What are the exact shortcomings? Are any deferred maintenance items actually urgent, and if so, which? c. Is there an ADA issue? What is it? d. What is the cost to repair high priority issues? e. What is the relative age and status of ERMA’s portables versus other portables in the district? f. What are the real obstacles to relocating ERMA to another campus if necessary?

3. ERMA Security: RSD staff stated that ERMA is a greater security risk than other schools within the RSD. a. Why is ERMA reportedly less safe than other RSD campuses? b. Have any simple options to remedy any urgent issues been proposed or considered?

4. ERMA Performance: ERMA students, who are selected by blind lottery, achieve consistently high assessment scores. a. Has RSD staff considered ERMA’s academic performance? b. How does RSD staff intend to ensure that the RSD’s academic performance does not decline as a result of shuttering its best academically-performing elementary-level school? c. Has RSD staff formally studied the impact of school closure on students? If so, what are the impacts, and how does the district propose to mitigate them?

5. ERMA Enrollment and Preservation of Options: RSD staff stated that various options to preserve the school were considered but are not feasible. a. Is District staff working in good faith to ensure that options to preserve and possibly expand the school are maintained in the short-term? b. Please provide an overview of the options considered and the reasons the options were not pursued.

6. ERMA Closure Processes for Evaluation of Options: RSD Policy 6883 requires a specific process and procedures prior to the closure of a school facility. a. Per Policy 6883, the board of directors is required to prepare a written analysis which considers multiple issues when considering the closure of a school. Has the board prepared this written analysis? Is this written analysis available to the public or will it be made available prior to the requested work session and any future public hearings?

7. ERMA Long-Term Solutions: RSD justifications for proposed school closure include short-term reasons. a. What is RSD’s long term vision for itself? What are the District’s goals for its upcoming bond proposal? b. Will the RSD work with ERMA families to proactively collaborate on short-, medium- and long-term solutions, potentially including expansion rather than closure of the school? We request that RSD staff provide answers to our questions before closing a school that has been a unique and essential part of the RSD since 1994.

Riverview School District plays a major role in our community’s culture of collaboration and transparency; we want collaboration and transparency extended to ERMA stakeholders. We know this will result in better decisions and community alignment. Since its inception by citizens of Snoqualmie Valley and RSD, Eagle Rock has given parents and students an opportunity to be more fully involved in their education. ERMA remains committed to the values of community involvement in education, with clear and undeniable results. ERMA students, who are selected by blind lottery, consistently achieve higher on standardized testing, and consistently move on to become strong academic performers and student leaders. ERMA is an institution founded on the ideals of RSD’s parents and educators. Closing ERMA will have a negative impact on the community and the RSD. In conclusion, we urge RSD staff and the Board work with us to create the best possible school district; a district with a school dedicated to parental involvement and multi-age learning. To reiterate, we request that the RSD staff and the Board schedule a work session with ERMA stakeholders by March 14th, 2023. We look forward to working with you. Sincerely, Save ERMA Committee