By Molly Tanenbaum
The Mountain View-Whisman school board has heard the pleas of Slater neighbors who want to preserve access to playing fields once the elementary school closes in June. Now it’s now up to the board to meet those wishes.
At last Thursday’s board meeting, the trustees heard recommendations for Slater’s short-term fate from the district’s advisory committee on surplus property. Assigned with the task of looking at enrollment projections through the year 2014, the committee needed to determine if there would be room in the district to accommodate all students once Slater is out of the picture.
The committee, made up of community members, found that the district has enough space to close Slater, at least until 2014. Next year, the remaining six elementary schools will be at 89 percent capacity, which will rise to 94 percent by 2014, at which point it would be possible to reopen nearby Whisman School, according to the committee.
One of the requirements of the committee was to hold a public hearing to gather community input. The hearing took place Jan. 12, and feedback from that meeting was included in the committee’s report to the board.
“Without question, the number one concern of the neighborhood is preserving open space,” committee representative Mike Cobb said to the board in his presentation.
The committee’s enrollment projections allowed for schools to keep certain dedicated non-classroom space, such as libraries and computer labs, while other rooms currently used for counseling, art, music or pull-out programs might have to be turned into classrooms to accommodate all students.
This is a concern for community members, who worry that taking away rooms from so-called enrichment programs will make it a challenge for schools to continue to offer them.
“It’s a much different ballpark, and we’re going to look to you to provide guidance,” said committee member and Slater neighbor Jane Horton to the board.
At the next meeting on Feb. 16, the board is scheduled to act on a resolution to declare Slater School surplus property, at which point Chief Financial Officer Rebecca Wright can start the bidding process to lease out the campus, according to board vice chair Fiona Walter.
“The neighborhood’s concern for public access was absolutely heard loud and clear,” Walter said after the meeting.
The board will take into consideration the committee’s recommendations, including public comment from the Jan. 12 public hearing, when writing up a lease agreement, she said.
The district hopes to move quickly on the bidding process so that if a school wanted the site, it could open its doors by September.
E-mail Molly Tanenbaum at mtanenbaum
