The issue at hand
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Bellevue School District (BSD) is proposing a consolidation of 3 of the 7 smaller elementary schools in the district due to budget cuts and enrollment declines. Melissa deVita, BSD’s Deputy Superintendent of Finance and Operations, shared this proposal and information to the BSD Board of Directors on January 12. Check your email for messages from Woodridge Elementary’s Principal, Anecia Grigsby, with links to the presentation and video recording from that meeting.
One option in that presentation is to close Woodridge Elementary at the end of this school year – in a short 5 months. Starting as soon as this fall, September 2023, students from Woodridge K-5 would have to attend Wilburton Elementary or Enatai Elementary. It's unclear what will happen to the Woodridge school building – it could be used by other BSD schools like Jing Mei or Big Picture, it could be leased out to a private or charter school, or it could sit empty. Other scenarios under consideration could mean closing other schools and sending some of those students to Woodridge. And of course, if other schools are consolidated into Woodridge Elementary, we will warmly welcome those new students and families to our wonderful community. We all love our school community, as well as our beloved teachers and staff. Our school is the center of our community not just for school activities but for neighborhood-wide activities. It really is our “Heart of the Hill.” Losing Woodridge Elementary would be a tremendous loss to our community, to the families it serves, and it could impact surrounding property values. Furthermore, closing this school would be yet another transition for our young children who have been so severely impacted over the past couple of years due to the COVID pandemic. We have a talented, tenured teaching and administrative staff that is providing an excellent education for our 313 children, which includes 20 new students who joined the school as of January 5, 2023. We need to come together as a community to fight for our school. It will take all of us working together to save our school! |
How you can help
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Sign the Community Letter. This was the letter we read aloud during the school board meeting this past Thursday (1/26) to:
* formally object to the process that the Bellevue School District is using to address the budget shortfalls, * request access to how they arrived at the enrollment projections, * to include a team of representatives from our school communities in the process, and * to request that the follow the required policy procedures. |
You can sign the letter by clicking the button below:
We'd like to collect as many signatures as possible before we send a registered hard copy to the Executive Team and School Board on Monday.
If you have not yet signed and would like your voice to be included, please add your name ASAP. |
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Attend School Board Meetings! Whether virtual or in person, stay on top of the issue and let them know you're aware and involved.
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The next school board meeting will be held on
Thursday, January 26th @ 4:30pm Wilburton Instructional Service Center (WISC) 12241 Main St. Bellevue, WA 98005 You can attend in person or join the meeting by clicking HERE when the meeting begins. |
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Send an email to the BSD School Board and Executives though the Let's Talk Forum. Click the "Planning Feedback" button and then the "Planning for the Future" button located further down the page. Directions can be found HERE.
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Share your stories about Woodridge Elementary, ask questions, offer solutions.
A sample letter for you to repurpose is located HERE. |
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Sign our petition on Change.org to request that BSD keep Woodridge Elementary open.
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Go to https://chng.it/CjZGcwq8Rv or, using your mobile phone, scan the QR code access our petition:
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Spread the word! We need Woodridge residents, parents, grandparents, alumni, teachers, and students to get involved to save our school!
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Join the Woodridge neighborhood conversations on the Woodridge PTSA Facebook Page, the Woodridge Elementary Parent Discussion Group, Discord, and/or Nextdoor to talk with your neighbors and share with friends and family.
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United PTA LETTER To the SChool Board
The PTSA leadership from each of the impacted schools (Ardmore, Eastgate, Enatai, Phantom Lake, Sherwood Forest, Wilburton, and Woodridge) joined together to create a request to the school board.
We are asking that the schoolboard:
* Change the format of the meetings to be open Q&A
* Review specific policies to adhere to the proper timelines for school closures
* Provide more detail on alternatives, and address some conflicting data
Click the button below to view the letter.
We are asking that the schoolboard:
* Change the format of the meetings to be open Q&A
* Review specific policies to adhere to the proper timelines for school closures
* Provide more detail on alternatives, and address some conflicting data
Click the button below to view the letter.
Letter from the Principal
Jan 18, 2023
Dear Woodridge Community:
I would like to invite all families to attend our Community Open House on Tuesday, January 24, 2023, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.
This open house is an opportunity for Woodridge families to meet with district staff to learn more about the options to address declining enrollment and the impacts to our learning community. The format for the open house will be conversational, so families can feel free to stop by at their convenience anytime during the hour. Families with students receiving Special Education services are invited to attend and speak with members of the Special Education team.
For any family unable to attend the in-person open house, a virtual option will be held. Please register for the virtual session by following this link. Only registered families will receive a Teams meeting invitation for the virtual session. Registration must be completed by 10:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 22, 2023. The exact date and time for the virtual sessions will be determined based on the number of participants registered for each school.
On January 12, a presentation was made to the Bellevue School Board to consolidate three of the seven elementary schools identified below to stabilize elementary enrollment. These schools have experienced the greatest enrollment decline to date and include Ardmore, Eastgate, Enatai, Phantom Lake, Sherwood Forest, Woodridge and Wilburton Elementaries.
As educators, we know what an important role the school community plays in the lives of our students, families and staff. As a district we are fully committed to hearing from and partnering with our communities at each of the potentially affected schools. Any discussion of closure or consolidation due to district enrollment decline is difficult and understandably elicits strong emotions from all involved.
We very much appreciate your partnership, dedication, and support of the Woodridge community.
A final recommendation to the Board is tentatively set for the regularly scheduled Board meeting on February 9, 2023. The Woodridge community is invited to share their feedback though the Let's Talk platform. Please use the "Planning for the Future" button to share feedback on this topic.
Anecia Grigsby on behalf of Bellevue School District 405
Learn More
For the past several months the Bellevue School District has shared information with our learning community about the enrollment challenges the district is projected to experience. Prior communications with context around this topic include:
BSD Demographic and Enrollment Study and Future Trends
Planning for the Future Presentation - November 30, 2022
Planning for the Future Presentation - January 12, 2023, Update
Dear Woodridge Community:
I would like to invite all families to attend our Community Open House on Tuesday, January 24, 2023, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.
This open house is an opportunity for Woodridge families to meet with district staff to learn more about the options to address declining enrollment and the impacts to our learning community. The format for the open house will be conversational, so families can feel free to stop by at their convenience anytime during the hour. Families with students receiving Special Education services are invited to attend and speak with members of the Special Education team.
For any family unable to attend the in-person open house, a virtual option will be held. Please register for the virtual session by following this link. Only registered families will receive a Teams meeting invitation for the virtual session. Registration must be completed by 10:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 22, 2023. The exact date and time for the virtual sessions will be determined based on the number of participants registered for each school.
On January 12, a presentation was made to the Bellevue School Board to consolidate three of the seven elementary schools identified below to stabilize elementary enrollment. These schools have experienced the greatest enrollment decline to date and include Ardmore, Eastgate, Enatai, Phantom Lake, Sherwood Forest, Woodridge and Wilburton Elementaries.
As educators, we know what an important role the school community plays in the lives of our students, families and staff. As a district we are fully committed to hearing from and partnering with our communities at each of the potentially affected schools. Any discussion of closure or consolidation due to district enrollment decline is difficult and understandably elicits strong emotions from all involved.
We very much appreciate your partnership, dedication, and support of the Woodridge community.
A final recommendation to the Board is tentatively set for the regularly scheduled Board meeting on February 9, 2023. The Woodridge community is invited to share their feedback though the Let's Talk platform. Please use the "Planning for the Future" button to share feedback on this topic.
Anecia Grigsby on behalf of Bellevue School District 405
Learn More
For the past several months the Bellevue School District has shared information with our learning community about the enrollment challenges the district is projected to experience. Prior communications with context around this topic include:
BSD Demographic and Enrollment Study and Future Trends
Planning for the Future Presentation - November 30, 2022
Planning for the Future Presentation - January 12, 2023, Update
