The updated plans for reboundarying (linked for reference) in Edmonds School District released at their open house on May 18th have raised significant concerns among parents, students, and educators alike. The proposed changes for the Sherwood/ Westgate/ Edmonds Elementary and College Place Elementary zones do not align with the guiding principles outlined by the district on their reboundarying plan, located here on page 14 (linked for reference).

Furthermore, the new boundaries will disrupt long-standing communities, split neighborhoods, and make it difficult for families and children to maintain social ties and support systems that have been built over years. 

Principle 1: Take a district-wide perspective by considering individual school capacities and student population projections to balance enrollment and alleviate overcrowding and underutilization of schools across the school district. And Principle 2: Take a district-wide perspective considering growth trends and enrollment projections

The new proposed plan DOES NOT support these principles because: 

• The projected utilization report shows the following 10-year capacity trends:
  • College Place Elementary (CPE) reaches 100% capacity
  • Edmonds Elementary reaches 92% capacity
  • Westgate reaches 94% capacity
  • Sherwood remains steady at 86% capacity, far lower than the other schools 
• Based on these projections, rezoning the section labeled #2 on the attached plan (south of Pine, west of 100th, north of Hwy 104) from Sherwood to Westgate does not appear necessary, as it increases Westgate’s utilization without addressing an overcrowding concern at Sherwood. The affected zone includes fewer than 60 students and would not push Sherwood over capacity if it remained in the current boundary.
• Similarly, moving the section labeled #1 on the attached plan (north of Pine, west of 100th, south of Dayton) from Sherwood to Edmonds Elementary would further increase Edmonds Elementary’s utilization without solving a larger capacity issue. If the goal is to better balance enrollment, adjusting portions of College Place Elementary’s boundary appear to be more effective based on the current, 5 year and 10 year student population estimations, since CPE is projected to reach full capacity within 10 years and Edmonds Elementary is underpopulated today.

Principle 3: Make efforts to keep neighborhoods and communities together

The new proposed plan DOES NOT support this principle because: 

• It further disrupts the community more than Open House Scenario 1 by splitting the Pine Street Park neighborhood between two schools
• It separates neighborhoods, peer groups, and established community connections
• It is highly disruptive to student learning and sense of belonging
• Many impacted families are deeply involved in the school community through PSO leadership, volunteering, and fundraising. The reboundarying would negatively impact kids remaining at these schools while eliminating important adult volunteers from their lives.
• Westgate Elementary rebuild (2028–2029) would overlap with the rezone timeline resulting in students in the area south of Pine, west of 100th, and north of 104th attending 4 schools in 4 years:
  • Sherwood
  • Temporary placement at Woodway Center
  • Return to Westgate
  • Transition to middle school
• Frequent school transitions create instability for a sensitive student population
• Research shows stable learning environments, peer groups, and trusted adults support stronger student mental health outcomes

Principle 4: Maximize proximity to home/safe walking routes (e.g. not having to cross busy streets, railroad tracks, consider natural boundaries)

The new proposed plan DOES NOT support this principle because: 

• Students currently walking to school will no longer be in a reasonable walking zone in areas 2 and 3 on the attached map.
• Proximity to the building doesn't always equate to a safe and reasonable walk for elementary kids. Key considerations: up steep hills vs. flat, unmarked intersections, or additional street crossings, and a blind corner (on Elm St./220th intersection) 

Principle 5: Consider transportation impacts, and work towards limiting the amount of time on buses

The new proposed plan DOES NOT support this principle because: 

• Additional families would actually utilize bus services if walking routes are unsafe or exceeding their prior walking distance

Proposed changes from current proposal:

• Boundary areas we have marked as 1 and 2 stay at Sherwood
• Boundary area we have marked as 3 stays at Westgate
• Boundary area we have marked as 5 moves to Westgate
• Boundary area we have marked as 4 moves to Edmonds Elementary

Benefits of proposed changes:

• Based on the facts and assumptions listed above, capacity would be split more evenly across all 4 schools and eliminates the risk of College Place Elementary being over-capacity in 10 years. That zone is more likely to have higher density housing built in that timeframe which would further stress the student population projections.
• Keep walkability for areas 2 and 3 the same as it is today, while areas 1 and 5 are not walkable in either scenario.
• Minimizing impacts to students by:
  • Keeping the PSO members at their current schools to keep maintain current programs, volunteers and fundraising efforts consistent for students.
  • Fewer existing neighborhoods must move to new schools
  • Keeping existing neighborhoods together
• Still allows for increased population at Edmonds Elementary coming from College Place Elementary without increasing utilization as high as the previously proposed plan.
• Dividing area 5 along a very natural and large barrier. Does not change the walkability for this zone and is a part of the neighborhood to the North, not the West.
• Increased population numbers for the new Westgate building, as we were told by committee members at the May 18th meeting that this was a priority for the district.

We are asking for these changes to ensure the reboundarying aligns with the district’s guiding principles as well as the interests of students and the school communities. We call on the reboundarying committee to implement these changes for a more community focused approach.

Community members: We ask for your help by signing this petition to support these goals and ensure the educational welfare and mental health of our children is prioritized in the reboundarying process. 

Thank you!