A letter to parents about the boundary survey

Dear QAE Parents and Prospective QAE Families: 

Seattle Public Schools (SPS) is creating new attendance area boundaries to accommodate increasing enrollment and construction of new school buildings. The Growth Boundary proposal is going through its 2nd and perhaps final revision.  SPS is seeking community comments about the proposal as they finalize the proposal for School Board Approval.  QAE PTSA highly encourages you to complete the SPS Growth Boundaries Survey with your respectful and thoughtful comments.  The survey deadline is Oct. 25th.

As a QAE community, we want to advocate for 4 critical items:

Create a equitable and sensible Geo-zone for QAE that provides overcrowding relief for both Hay and Coe Elementary schools and allows opportunities for students in the McClure Service Area and other parts of the district to attend QAE.  (Please keep us an option school with a geo-zone that is walkable). 

Include the QAE community and leadership in discussions and planning of the QAE BEX remodel (scheduled to be completed in 2019).

Consider short term capacity mitigation measures such as portables or if QAE would qualify for an accelerated BEX construction schedule given our undersized school facilities, enrollment growth rate, and over capacity challenges in the McClure Service Area.

Plan for an interim school where QAE students will safely reside during BEX construction.


When you being the survey please note Queen Anne Elementary does not have a number to reference in the drop down menu, instead: 

> Select the text box option marked "Other (please specify)"
> Please fill in Queen Anne Elementary or QAE in this text box.
 
>> Write your comments in the survey! << 

For additional information about the SPS Growth Boundaries Proposal and school capacity data, please visit here. 

Thank you,

QAE PTSA 

Sample letter

I am a parent (or prospective parent) at Queen Anne Elementary and am concerned about the recently revised GeoZone for QAE. Our school is no longer inside its own GeoZone--which now starts 7 blocks away! I ask that you please revise QAE's proposed boundaries to support a neighborhood walk zone, help relieve capacity issues equitably at both Hay and Coe, and still provide support for Magnolia. As an option school serving the entire McClure service area it's important that QAE preserve some space for children outside of its own GeoZone.


Also, short and long term mitigation measures are urgently needed to provide sufficient facilities at QAE. Student enrollment in QAE is 
rapidly increasing beyond the number of classrooms available and the current classrooms and facilities are smaller than district standards. Additionally, QAE lacks a gym and the lunchroom is too small to accommodate the projected enrollment even in multiple shifts. Please consider if QAE would qualify for an accelerated BEX construction timeline. Which interim school will QAE students attend during construction? Finally, please include the QAE community and leadership in the discussion and planning of QAE BEX construction.  We appreciate being informed about changes to our school and wish to collaborate with SPS to provide the best possible learning environment for the students. 


  
Sincerely,

Your Name