Plan for schools gets more praise

A plan to help Seattle Public Schools eliminate budget deficits and boost student achievement continued to gather support Thursday from city leaders and public education groups.

Parents, however, were a bit more cautious, eager for more details on hot-button topics, such as potential school closures and busing changes.

Montlake Elementary parent Lilia Widmayer questions whether the panel's recommendations are all necessary.

Widmayer dislikes the idea of parents paying for bus service, even though her two daughters wouldn't need it if they continued to attend Montlake -- one of 10 schools targeted for closure earlier this year.

But more than anything, she said: "I'm terrified they'll close schools again."

A citizens' advisory panel laid out its recommendations in a preliminary report released Thursday. Among other cuts, the committee urged the district to eliminate up to 1.5 million square feet of "excess" space -- about the size of 15 elementary schools, a middle school and a high school.

The district faces projected deficits of nearly $15 million in 2006-07 and $25 million the next year, rising to $41 million by 2008-09. Closures could save between $6 million and $10 million, beginning in 2007-08, the committee said.

Other cost-cutting proposals included staff reductions, changes to busing plans and better management of district-owned properties to generate revenue. The panel also suggested investing several million dollars each year to boost academic performance.

Though the recommendations involve deeper cuts than ones Superintendent Raj Manhas proposed last spring to help save money -- plans that were pulled off the table after nearly a month of citywide protests -- reaction so far has been relatively muted.

The committee has done a good job of laying out the magnitude of the district's financial troubles, said Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis. "They can go in to areas that may be politically difficult and put issues on the table for consideration that otherwise the superintendent or (School Board) might not be able to consider," he said.

The Seattle Education Association, the union representing teachers, has formally endorsed the recommendations.

"This report outlines a positive, hopeful vision for Seattle's public schools and students, ..." SEA Vice President Patricia Robertson said in a statement. "It's clear we're on the right track, but if we truly want all Seattle students to succeed, it's going to take more money."

The committee is recommending closing "an extraordinary amount" of building space, but the fact that it is gathering community input is encouraging, said parent-activist Theresa Cardamone.

The group also urged the district to consider a school's academic performance when selecting which schools might need to close.

"I just hope when they're talking about academic achievement, they're talking about real student growth, not just based on one test score," such as the WASL, Cardamone said. "I'm going to wait and see."