The Highline School District on Friday announced that the transition of 6th grade to middle school will be delayed at least one year.
“Originally slated for fall 2015, the 6th grade move will occur no earlier than September 2016,” the district said in a release.
The district says that the change was made “in part as a response to parent concerns about sixth graders having to make two moves during middle school — once to an interim site, and again to a new school facility.
“The district plans to build two new middle schools to accommodate growing enrollment. The capital bond on last November’s ballot would have funded construction of two middle schools slated to open in September 2017. Students attending those schools would have been housed in interim sites for two years.”
The new timeline allows district leaders to seek a solution that would eliminate the need for interim middle school sites.
“One benefit of this change is that it allows more time to plan the sixth-grade transition,” said Superintendent Susan Enfield.
Community meetings where families can participate in the planning process will resume in January and continue through the spring.
Construction of new middle schools will require passage of a capital bond. The November bond received 59.3 percent of the vote, just short of the 60 percent “supermajority” needed for passage. The school board is gathering community input now as it decides when to place another bond on the ballot.]]>
If the plan of moving 6th graders to middle school is what the bond money was for then it is no wonder it didn’t pass. Seems like a waste of taxpayer dollars.
Are schools in this district in such good shape that they don’t need money for more important projects? I always vote for schools but I would like my money going to supporting things that are real issues. I’m sure that if we asked some teachers they could provide a list of things they need. Would moving 6th graders be at the top of their list?
It would be interesting to see the data that shows 11 year old kids do better in school when they are with teenagers. Maybe putting 7th, 8th and 9th grades in one school would be a better choice if grades must be combined differently.
6,7,8 in one school – 9, 10, 11 in another. Move to integrate 12th grade to be completed at a community college so you could fashion a senior year plus first 2 years of college as another 3 years set.