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Controversial Denny-Sealth School Merger
Topic of Community Meeting in West Seattle

Updated Feb. 4, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Steven Fischer, President, Westwood Neighborhood Council

The Westwood Neighborhood Council has announced plans to sponsor a five-person panel discussion designed to provide information about the Seattle Public School District’s controversial decision to combine Sealth High School and Denny Middle School. The event will take place on February 12, at 7 PM in the Sealth High School Commons located at 2600 SW Thistle Street in the Westwood neighborhood of West Seattle.

The Council is organizing a moderated discussion among five panelists about the School District’s decision to combine the two schools (options 1 and 2) or retain two separate schools (option 3). Key discussion will address academic and social needs of middle- and high-school students, and will include questions from audience members.

Enrique Cerna, Director of Production for KCTS TV Channel 9 will moderate a diverse panel will answer questions from the public about this proposed project. The panel will be comprised of: Seattle School Board Member Steve Sundquist, retired 22 year veteran of the Seattle Police Department Stuart Colman, Vice President of the Black Child Development Institute and serving as an Education Specialist for Casey Family Programs Dr. Donald Felder, PhD, Sealth High School faculty member Delfino Munoz, and as yet unnamed members from the Seattle School District Facilities Team.

“Parents and other community members have said they wanted information about the Denny-Sealth project. We want to provide a forum for people to ask questions and get information,” said Steve Fischer, president of the Westwood Neighborhood Council. “We are striving to present an un-biased format that allows a range of opinions. People in the community have very strong feelings about this issue.”

The Seattle School District Board of Directors has announced plans to discuss the project at their February 13 meeting and vote on it at their February 27 meeting.

Key points regarding the Denny-Sealth merger:

• The Westwood Neighborhood Council believes that it is important to engage the community which is something that the School District has not done in regard to this project up until their February 4, 2008 meeting.

• The Westwood Neighborhood Council has previously held two community meetings on the Denny Sealth project. These meetings were held on June 27 and December 12, 2007

• Until these meetings, many of the surrounding elementary school parents did not know about this proposed merger of the two schools

• Many in the community are concerned that the decision to combine the Denny Middle School onto the campus of Sealth High School appears to be based on an attempt to save money and not on the merits of academics

• The Seattle Education Association (SEA) has adopted a resolution calling for community engagement on all three options, including “Option 3” which calls for the building of a new Denny Middle School on the existing Denny site.

• A November 2007 vote held at Sealth High School showed that 93 percent of the staff did not support the combined campus

• The 34th District Democrats will be considering a resolution on February 13 calling the Seattle School Board and District Administration to direct Building Excellence (BEX) III/Facilities to provide an option for rebuilding Denny at the current Denny site and completing the required upgrades in order to meet code for Chief Sealth.