Bellevue School District holds meetings on possible consolidation

The Bellevue School District is holding school board hearings this week for families affected by the district’s recommendation to consolidate three elementary schools — Ardmore, Eastgate and Wilburton — with other schools.

The district is proposing to send Ardmore students to Bennett, Cherry Crest and Sherwood Forest elementaries; Eastgate students to Spiritridge and Somerset elementaries; and Wilburton students to Clyde Hill and Enatai elementaries. The advanced learning program at Spiritridge would move to Woodridge Elementary.

The district said it needs to address declining enrollment, and chose the three schools because they have seen significant enrollment losses. 

The first meeting, held Monday, was for community members affected by the Ardmore Elementary consolidation. The public hearing for Eastgate’s proposed consolidation is Tuesday, and Wilburton’s is Thursday. Both meetings begin at 4:30 p.m. and are held virtually and in person at the district’s Wilburton Instructional Service Center.

The district has stressed that the recommendations aren’t final.

At Monday’s meeting, Ardmore parents and more than a dozen Ardmore teachers and other staff asked that the district reconsider its proposal to send Ardmore students to other schools. Ardmore is a Title I school, which means it receives federal funding because it serves a high percentage of low-income students, and about 38% of students are English-language learners, according to the state superintendent’s office.

The proposals have instilled confusion and fear among students and families, said Rocio Castillo, parent of an Ardmore fourth grader. 

“Ardmore for my family, and for many other families, is not just a building with chairs and classrooms,” Castillo said through a translator at the meeting. “It really is our second home, our second family.”

School psychologist Kristen deAlteriis said Ardmore provides stability for students who have significant and often multilayered histories of trauma. And even with the obstacles, students have continued to make significant gains, she added.

“At Admore, we are proof that small schools do work,” she said.

The school board will hear a recommendation update on March 9, and may make a final decision on March 16, according to the district.