School Board Unanimously Approves Recommendation to Build New High School in North End and Reconfigure Grade Levels

After months of careful study, the Northshore School District Board of Directors unanimously voted at its Oct. 23 meeting to accept the preferred recommendation of the Enrollment Demographics Task Force to address current and anticipated growth in the north/central corridor of the district. The Board voted to: (1) pursue construction of an additional high school in the north end of the district; (2) include funding for that high school as the major component of a February 2014 bond measure; (3) reconfigure grade levels district-wide to K-5 elementary schools, 6-8 middle schools, and 9-12 high schools; and (4) implement associated boundary adjustments to be recommended to the Board at a later date. 

With this vote, our attention will now shift to an accelerated planning and permitting process for a new high school to be located on 61 acres north and west of Fernwood Elementary acquired by the District last spring. This property is ideally located in a densely populated area of the district that is expected to see continued enrollment growth in the coming years. If planning and permitting can be completed in advance of the February 2014 bond election - and if voters approve that bond measure - we hope to begin construction in the spring of 2014 and have a new high school ready to open by the fall of 2017. Our plan would be to implement boundary adjustments and district-wide grade reconfiguration at that same time.

In the meantime, we will continue to address enrollment growth in north end schools through restriction of in- and out-of-district attendance waivers, additional portable classrooms, program adjustments and bussing. While certainly not ideal, we believe these measures are preferable to multiple boundary adjustments in advance of a long-term solution. We will continue to work closely with the most impacted schools to assure a high quality learning environment as those schools operate well beyond their enrollment capacity. 

This decision and direction by the Board will have significant impacts across our district for years to come. The Board is committed to providing accurate and thorough information throughout the implementation process and involving the community in authentic and meaningful ways. I will continue to provide periodic updates through this letter and on our district Web site at www.nsd.org/edtf .

Larry Francois, Northshore School District Superintendent