Followup: 2 more West Seattle schools get portables, 2 more to go

Since last night’s road-closing delivery of a two-classroom portable to Lafayette Elementary, and the sighting of another one on its way to West Seattle Elementary today (above), we checked with Seattle Public Schools to see which other schools will – and won’t – get portables. The district confirms, for starters, what a commenter said after we mentioned which schools had city permits pending for portables: Gatewood Elementary and Pathfinder K-8 are NOT getting them after all. SPS spokesperson Tom Redman tells WSB, “Processing and review of permits takes 6 to 8 weeks. Thus, SPS filed for permits prior to the completion of the open enrollment period. Actual 2012-13 enrollment data indicated that portables are not needed at Gatewood and Pathfinder.” With that, and with the deliveries last night and today, our area has two more to go, as listed by Redman:

Schmitz Park Elementary
2 single portables = 2 classrooms
Tentative Schedule:
-1st portable (in halves on two trailers) scheduled to arrive 6/28 Thursday early morning and the 2nd portable (in halves on two trailers) scheduled to arrive 6/28 Thursday late morning/early afternoon

Chief Sealth International HS
2 double portables = 4 classrooms
Waiting to be moved from the south side of Thistle Street (now at SW Sports Complex) onto the campus
Time and date of move to be determined by SDOT – will schedule with contractor

Sealth principal Chris Kinsey told us earlier this month that 9th-grade language-arts and history teachers will work in their portable classrooms.

Steph June 25, 2012 (7:12 pm)

As a Gatewood mom, I am happy for no portables this year. More room for the kids to play on the playground area.

Harold Reems June 25, 2012 (8:16 pm)

Our kids need more time in the classrooms and less time on the playground. If the classroom happens to be a portable, so be it.

Wessider June 25, 2012 (8:37 pm)

what is the lifespan/reuse capability for these “portables”. there are a bunch sitting behind the Genessee Hill/Pathfinder school that I suppose are destined to serve as graffiti canvases or rot away.

m June 26, 2012 (1:42 am)

our kids need more time on the playgrounds, not less.

miws June 26, 2012 (9:01 am)

Harold, I appreciate most of what you post here, and agree with you on many of your opinions, but just can’t do it this time.

Studies show, (and I’ll try to remember to come back here in a couple hours, or so, with citations, when I’m where I have a more reliable connection), that kids do benefit from recess.

It gives them a chance to run off some of the pent up energy from sitting in class, and re-energizes those that might be feeling sleepy. It helps to clear their heads, and ready them for more instruction/studying. It gets them, some perhaps much needed physical exercise.

Of course there should be more classroom time, than recess, (I would have had a much differing opinion 45 years ago!) ;-) but, yeah, recess is a needed component to the typical school day.

Mike

bonbon June 26, 2012 (9:53 am)

Harold, I hope your not a teacher.

miws June 26, 2012 (11:01 am)

Harold, here’s a link to one resource:

http://www.movingandlearning.com/Resources/Articles30.htm

And another:

http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/03/health/diet-fitness/parenting-recess-kids/index.html

One other benefit I hadn’t thought of in my previous posting is, as the second article alludes to; socializing.

Mike

sb June 26, 2012 (12:15 pm)

I second Steph as a Gatewood parent and neighbor! And I second Harold as a parent.

Genessee neighbor June 26, 2012 (10:15 pm)

When do the additional portable bathrooms and lunchrooms arrive? Schools have maximum capacity limits and I am almost positive they are being exceeded. At Schmitz you can barely move down the hallways! I personally think they are an eyesore and not only take away from playground space but they also offer hiding places for school kids and ‘week-end kids’.

Joy A June 26, 2012 (11:41 pm)

When SPS closed Cooper Elementary in 2009, our community told all of West Seattle that there would be portables behind every elementary school. There was absolutely no place to put our 308 kids. Contrary to data, Cooper was closed, and more money is now being spent to make every elementary school in WS look like a trailer park than was ever saved by school closures. The District needs to right that wrong because no amount of portables is every going to justify the Cooper closure. The parade of portables will never end until Delridge gets a school. I feel sorry for the former North Cluster, and especially Schmitz park, though not at all surprised. Due to the excessive overcrowding, I feel that my child’s education was so compromised, that she will no longer be attending SPS. I can no longer trust them with my most precious asset….my child.

Sorry, comment time is over.