Thursday, January 26, 2017

Cascadia/Decatur Split FAQ



New Cascadia
(at Wilson Pacific site)
Decatur
Enrollment Capacity
660
340+
Assigned Elementaries
All elementaries in the Hamilton, Jane Addams, McClure, Robert Eagle Staff, and Whitman attendance areas. Greenlake will be assigned to Cascadia.
These schools from the Eckstein attendance area: Bryant, Laurelhurst, Sand Point, View Ridge, and Wedgwood
Classrooms
27 total classrooms – once enrollment numbers and homeroom needs are known, decisions will need to be made about how any additional spaces are utilized
15 total classrooms – once enrollment numbers and homeroom needs are known, decisions will need to be made about how any additional spaces are utilized
Administration and Office Staff Allocation
Each school will be allocated only a Principal and Admin. Secretary
Teacher Placement
Executive Director for the NW Region Jon Halfaker and Principal Rina Geoghagan will meet with staff to ask for volunteers who are interested in moving to Decatur. If there are not enough people interested, sonority will also be part of the decision. The goal will be to create balanced teaching staff between both schools including teacher leaders and experience.
PCP – PE, Art, and/or General Music
PCP hours/FTE allocations are based on the number of classroom teachers and enrollment at a school. With the district’s budget crisis, it is likely PCP allocations will be reduced. PE is a requirement; other offerings (e.g. art and music) and how they’re scheduled, are site-based decisions.
Specialists – Math and Writing
Positions were based on WSS and the number of students enrolled at Cascadia– including for interventions – will be unlikely with the current budget crisis.
Resource Rooms and Staffing
Each school will need to allocate a space for a Resource room. The staffing is dependent on the number and needs of students at each school on Individual Education Plans (IEPs).
Library and staffing
Cascadia’s library books will be transferred to the new school. Due to budget constraints, Librarian FTE will be based on WSS
Decatur will receive a new library collection. Librarian FTE will be based on WSS
Other staff – Nurse, Counselor, Psychologist, etc.
Due to the budget crisis, nursing hours will be significantly reduced across the District. Psychologists and Therapists will still support students when required by IEPs.
Schedule/Bell Times
At the 1/18 School Board meeting, Bell Schedules were tentatively approved based on a 3-tier bussing system and including the extension of the school day by 20 minutes for all –10 minutes were added to the end and beginning of each schedule. However, District Staff are still working to try and get funding for a two-tier bus system for next year and so proposed a bell schedule reflecting only two tiers as well. If funding has not been acquired by May 1st, then the 3-tier system will be implemented. Current proposed Bell Times:
Under 3 tier: Cascadia = 9:25-3:55, and Decatur = 9:25-3:55
Under 2 tier: both Cascadia and Decatur = 8:00-2:30
Playground
A new play structure is included in the construction of the new school.
District Staff are working very hard at plans to remove the “Annex” structure and install a playground there by fall. In the event this is not possible, Decatur would need to share play space with Thornton Creek (brand new, large playground) until other arrangements could be made.

Childcare
There is a space planned for childcare however, if enrollment numbers are too big, that space will likely need to be used as a classroom.
Decision to offer childcare is at the discretion of the new administration and is dependent on space available.
Instrumental Music
There is no dedicated space for instrumental music at Cascadia. It is possible the program will need to change to accommodate scheduling of space. Some ideas include offering it only to 5th graders, offering it only by lottery, and/or reducing choice of instruments.
These decisions will need to be made by Cascadia’s administration, in coordination with the BLT and PTA.
Decisions about instrumental music will need to be made by the new school’s administration in coordination with their BLT and PTA.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

9:25?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Anonymous said...

Same as now. Is that a surprise?

Anonymous said...

Two questions about Decatur:

The capacity of Decatur is over 340? I thought it was significantly lower.

The start time under two tiers would be 8am, meaning that TC would start at 9am?

Questions

Anonymous said...

What about the 20 min extension to the school day, and the weekly early release on Wednesdays? Have next year's schedules been approved yet?

Another NW said...

2017-18 start-end times are last two pages of the transportation standards approved at last board meeting, includes 10 min earlier/10 min later.
https://www.seattleschools.org/UserFiles/Servers/Server_543/File/District/Departments/School%20Board/16-17agendas/01_18_2017/A02_20170118_Action_Report_Transportation_Service_Standards_packet.pdf

Anonymous said...

9:25 - 3:55 is the current Tier 3 timing with 20 minutes added to the school day (10 min on either end).

Decatur has 15 classrooms. Even if one is devoted to resource and 2 to PCP, you can estimate class sizes to see where the number 340 comes from.

Anonymous said...

Great, just cut nurses as if the number of kids needing insulin injections or evaluation after head injuries magically decreases with budget woes. If they don't have the staff to keep our kids alive and healthy how can attendance be mandatory!
Bull2$&/8!!

Anonymous said...

Whining...wish we knew the Principal assignments for the two schools and core teaching teams. This is important information when considering open enrollment options!

Timing Matters

Anonymous said...

My apologies for asking a basic question: Would this split happen next year (2017-2018) or the following year?

Lynn said...

The split happens in September 2017.