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• High School Boundaries
  
• Interim Superintendent Appointed
  
• Testing for lead in drinking water
  
• William Walker rebuild delayed
  
• New Kaiser Rd. K-5 Groundbreaking June 14

High School Boundaries

At its meeting on May 16, the Beaverton School District (BSD) Board voted unanimously to reject the High School Boundary Adjustment proposal submitted by former Superintendent Jeff Rose, based on an inadequate consideration of two criteria for boundary adjustments: Proximity and Transportation. Board members expressed concerns about proximity—the distance that students would be asked to travel to their new schools; and transportation, which includes the expense of moving children by bus to accommodate the proposed boundary map. Board Chair Anne Bryan said that she did not think students should be spending significantly more time on the bus than what they spend now to go to their current high schools. The Board directed the Superintendent to redraw the boundary map by giving more consideration to Proximity and Transportation.

In April, the local ad hoc group Sensible School Boundaries released its analysis of the materials received through a public information request. The result was a 33-page letter that was sent by the law firm Perkins Coie to the district on April 18, outlining the failures of the process. It clearly demonstrated that these two criteria were not considered adequately (see details: sensibleboundaries.com/analysis). Community members from the Sensible Boundaries Group led the charge to share these concerns with the board and walk through how these key criteria—along with Safety—were largely ignored. This effort, along with the hundreds of letters the board received from upset parents, strongly contributed to the board hearing the public's discontent and voting no on the flawed boundary proposal.

The next board meeting is on June 13. The new interim Superintendent will be attending that meeting, as Jeff Rose left the district at the end of May. The HS boundaries and next steps will likely be discussed then.

Interim Superintendent Appointed

Dr. Paula Radich

On May 23 the Beaverton School Board appointed Dr. Paula Radich as Interim Superintendent. Dr. Radich will start her work with the District on June 1.

While Interim Assistant Superintendent at the Oregon Department of Education, Dr. Radich collaboratively worked to modify the Educator Evaluation Accountability system and provide statewide professional development for its implementation. Dr. Paula Radich was recognized as the Oregon Superintendent of the Year in 2010. Dr. Radich said, “I appreciate the opportunity to serve as Interim Superintendent of the Beaverton School District. I look forward to working with students, staff and community to further the District’s goals and address the challenges that lie ahead.”

The district is currently engaged in a search for a new Superintendent, following Jeff Rose’s departure for Georgia. They are interviewing candidates now, with the tentative date for a public announcement coming on June 13.

Testing for lead in drinking water

BSD will test for lead in drinking water in all drinking fountains and faucets, including kitchen areas, in all schools and facilities.

According to a June 2 press release, “The Beaverton School District takes the health and safety of our students, staff and community seriously. On May 13, a District Safety Committee authorized district-wide lead testing in light of the events happening in Flint, Michigan and other cities around the U.S.”

Collection of water samples is expected to be completed within a few weeks, with lab results returned a few weeks later.

Elevated levels of lead were found in two drinking fountains in Beaverton’s Highland Park Middle School during the last two weeks of May. All drinking fountains in the building were immediately shut off and bottled water is being provided throughout the school including every classroom, gym, office, cafeteria, and health room.

The District will establish a webpage to keep the community informed. They will provide test results and ongoing updates as this testing process unfolds.

William Walker rebuild delayed

BSD has moved up the rebuild of Hazeldale Elementary School to 2017-2018, with the new school opening in September 2018. Originally, William Walker Elementary School was slated to be rebuilt during 2017- 2018. William Walker Elementary will now be rebuilt during 2018-2019, with the new school opening in September 2019.

Pedestrian Walkway/Courtyard at the new middle school

Students from these schools will attend classes at the future Middle School, currently under construction in Cedar Mill, while their schools are being torn down and rebuilt. The Middle School (as yet unnamed) will open in 2020. Students from Vose Elementary, the first school to be rebuilt, will attend the Cedar Mill school, scheduled to be “substantially” completed by the end of July.

William Walker Elementary School is adjacent to Cedar Hills Park, which is also scheduled for a major redevelopment. THPRD is working to coordinate with BSD to allow for additional access to the school site from Cedar Hills Blvd., relieving congestion on nearby neighborhood streets and giving students a safe way to cross CHB to get to Walker. In addition, new fields and other open space for school and community use will be provided. By timing the work to occur concurrently, both districts avoid a lengthier disruption to the area, with possible cost savings through coordinated construction efforts.

New Kaiser Rd. K-5 Groundbreaking June 14

The Beaverton School District will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Kaiser Rd. K-5 school in the North Bethany area on Tuesday, June 14 from 3:30-4:30 p.m., at 17805 NW Kaiser Rd. The public is invited.

The District is building the school a year earlier than originally planned, in order to respond to growth in the North Bethany area and alleviate overcrowding in nearby schools. The new school is scheduled to open in September 2017 and will house 750 students.

Conceptual illustration of the Kaiser K-5 School.

The 87,000 sq.ft. building will be built on 9.87 acres. The school will have 32 classrooms plus nine additional teaching spaces, including five open and flexible teaching spaces, a stage, a teaching area in the library, and dividable gym supporting two simultaneous physical education classes. The site includes a trail connection to the THPRD regional trail.

Clean Water Services is working to accelerate its process to install a gravity sewer in the area in time for the opening of the new school. The District does have a contingency plan in case this work is not completed in time.

The District has worked closely with DLR Group Architects on the design of the facility, as well as with Washington County, on a site plan that meets the development requirements. The same design will be used as a prototype for Vose, William Walker, and Hazeldale elementary schools.

There is no parking at the construction site. Please park at Bethany Presbyterian Church at 15505 NW Springville Road (Corner of NW Springville & NW Kaiser). A shuttle bus will take you to the construction site. We also encourage you to carpool.

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