Protesters rally against school closures plan

The school bell rang, but nearly 100 students stayed outside Montlake Elementary yesterday morning to rally against the recommended closure of their school.

They waved signs that read "Academics Matter" and "We love Montlake." They chanted "Save our School" and "Small School, Big Scores." Dozens of parents stood around them, yelling just as loud.

"Our stand is that we're a strong program, a program that works," said parent Carol Davidson.

It was one of the first protests since Seattle Public Schools last week announced a plan that calls for the closure of 10 schools, reconfiguring about a dozen others, plus restricting school choice and reducing transportation options. The main goal is to save money. The district expects to face a $20 million gap between revenues and expenses in the 2006-07 school year if cuts are not made. The proposed changes would go into effect in fall 2006 for elementary students and in fall 2007 for secondary students.

Not surprisingly, schools on the recommended-closure list are gearing up for action.

Parents are meeting, writing letters and discussing what arguments they should make to the School Board before it votes on the cost-cutting plan in July.

Some parents, like those at Montlake, are already in motion. Weekly community meetings are scheduled to start tomorrow at Montlake Community Center. Parents at that school also are contacting other affected schools to discuss joint efforts.

At North Beach Elementary, parents quickly organized a protest Friday during a previously scheduled visit by Superintendent Raj Manhas to dedicate a tree at their building. They waited for students to go inside after the ceremony, then pulled out signs and tried to question the superintendent about the plan.

On Saturday, Alki Elementary parents and students marched to Alki Beach, carrying petitions to ask for community support against closing that school.

Many other schools are holding meetings this week and next. Last night, parents at T.T. Minor Elementary, some with tears in their eyes, told stories about what the school means to them, how much their children's achievement has gone up, and how much support they receive from the school's staff.

"I have the option to go to private school. I don't want that option," said parent Stephanie Valentine. "I get better results at T.T. Minor."

PTA leaders announced they will organize a series of letter-writing nights so parents can share the stories with school board members and others.

Martin Luther King Elementary plans to keep working to sign up students for its newly approved Montessori program. Principal Barry Dorsey says it's his understanding that if the school enrolls 75 students in that program, the district staff will reconsider whether Martin Luther King should remain on the closure list.

Even Cooper Elementary, where the PTA is just a few months old, is working to figure out how to mobilize its parents. For years, the district promised the community a new building, said PTA treasurer Lois Gaylor. And now, just six years after it opened, she said, they're taking it away.

At a Seattle Council PTSA meeting Monday, parents from many of the affected schools sharply questioned Manhas and two other district officials, Chief Operating Officer Mark Green and Chief Academic Officer Steve Wilson.

At times, the exchanges turned testy, with both sides accusing the other of not doing enough to help generate more revenue for schools. Manhas reiterated what he's said in the past: It hurts him to close any school, but he believes it's necessary for the good of the district. Seattle must do something to trim expenses, and his goal is to minimize cuts to teaching staff, instructional assistants and other classroom-related costs. Every $1 million in savings saves 20 teaching positions, he said.

Manhas got support from some parents in the audience, including Dan Jensen of the West Seattle High PTSA. Jensen said his group's board of directors passed a resolution supporting the recommended closures as long as the savings are used in the classroom. West Seattle High is not on the recommended-for-closure list.

But Manhas didn't appear to win over those who had turned out to fight closure of their schools. At Montlake yesterday morning, parents stressed their school's academic record. Test scores are high, and they say the school has closed the achievement gap between white and minority students. The school also prides itself on its special-education program.

"I have brothers that are here," said fifth-grader Darien Gates. "I want them to have a good education."

Parents argued that the quality of their program should outweigh the shortcomings of their building, which is the reason the district gave for recommending its closure. Academics did not play a major part in the recommendations, based on School Board members' concerns that test scores often reflect factors beyond a school's control.

The Montlake parents scheduled the rally for the time when students otherwise would be taking the Washington Assessment of Student Learning. They're not against the WASL, and parents said the fourth-graders will make up the parts they didn't take yesterday. But they said WASL day seemed an apt time to question the value of closing an academically successful school.

"You can't take a school like this down," said Montlake parent Steve Widmayer. "This is what we strive for."

Linda Shaw: 206-464-2359 or lshaw@seattletimes.com