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Elementary Attendance Boundary Review This Fall

As one of the fastest growing areas in Washington State, the Snoqualmie Valley School District is grateful to community voters for approving the 2015 school bond to build and improve schools. Consequently, construction continues at a steady pace on building a new elementary school on Snoqualmie Ridge– known as Elementary School #6 (until it is properly named later this year)—with a target date of serving students by fall of 2016. Click here for regular updates on the ES#6 progress.
 
To prepare for the expansion from five to six elementary schools in the district, an Attendance Boundary Review Process will take place this fall. Changes to the elementary boundaries will likely be made to all of the district’s elementary schools in order to help balance student enrollment, serve all students, and plan for future growth needs. A letter from Superintendent Joel Aune was mailed September 18 to all elementary families explaining this important step in preparing to open a new school.
 
Why are boundary changes needed? Several key factors are driving the need to develop new elementary attendance boundaries to go into effect for 2016-17. Revisions are needed to:
  • Populate the new school;
  • Balance student enrollment and services among all the district’s elementary schools;
  • Allow for future anticipated growth due from new housing;
  • Accommodate Full-day Kindergarten for all children, which the state is mandating in 2016;
  • Provide additional space needed for reducing class sizes in grades K-3, for which the state legislature is providing additional staff funding.
The Process: A Boundary Review committee, comprised of school and district administrators, is working to develop several initial boundary options. They are using enrollment projection information provided by a professional demographer and residential housing growth information from the cities of North Bend and Snoqualmie, and King County. The “draft options” will be shared with the community through the district website, with a survey for community input. Based on feedback received, the options will be honed and possibly modified to a “short list” and again presented to the public for input. Community members will be able to comment on these options via another survey, at two public meetings, as well as at school board meetings. It is anticipated that the Boundary Committee will make a final recommendation to the School Board on October 29, with another opportunity for citizen comment. The School Board plans to take action on new attendance boundaries during the first week of November.
 
Proposed Timeline:
  • Week of September 21 – Parent communication regarding boundary change process.
  • Week of September 28 – Boundary Committee announces initial draft boundary option and posts an online survey for public input on the draft options.
  • Week of October 12 – Boundary Committee posts the "short list" of options, after considering input, and opens a new survey for input on the revised options.
  • October 20, 6:30 p.m., at North Bend Elementary – Community Meeting to present boundary options and gather input.
  • October 21, 6:30 p.m., at the Mount Si Freshman Campus – Community Meeting to present boundary options and gather input.
  • October 29, 6:30 p.m., at Snoqualmie City Hall – School Board Meeting: Recommendation on boundary option presented to the School Board with opportunity for citizen comment.
  • Week of November 2 – Special Board Meeting: Adoption of new attendance boundaries.
Updates will be provided through the district website and E-News this fall to keep parents apprised of the process and options being considered.
Once new attendance boundaries are finalized, other exciting activities will follow in preparation for opening the new school such as: staffing decisions, naming the school, etc.
 
If you have questions about the boundary change process, please contact Assistant Superintendent, Jeff Hogan at 425.831.8019 or hoganj@svsd410.org.