Spokane7
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October 6, 2011 in Washington Voices
Parents in favor of moving Jefferson stage march
Families and friends of Jefferson Elementary march in a “Move It for the Kids” walk on Sunday.
(Full-size photo)
Since the Spokane School Board decided to relocate Jefferson Elementary as part of a school bond-funded remodeling project, opponents of that decision have campaigned tirelessly to stop the move.
Recently, the Hart Field Preservation Organization filed a lawsuit against Spokane Public Schools saying that moving Jefferson onto part of Hart Field violates that property’s deed, and that the proceeds from the school bond may be used to modernize, replace or renovate the existing Jefferson Elementary, but not to move it to a new location.
On Sunday afternoon a group of people who support the move gathered at Jefferson’s new location on the corner of 37th Avenue and Manito Boulevard.
It’s the first time supporters of the school district’s decision to move Jefferson have staged a public meeting.
“We started planning this walk just about a week ago,” said Becky Marshall, who has children at Jefferson and lives just a few houses from the new location. “We just want to show that not everyone is opposed to moving the school.”
Together with Nikki Lockwood, another Jefferson parent, Marshall hand-delivered fliers in the neighborhood and sent them home with kids at Jefferson.
“I think we’ve sent out about 300 fliers,” said Marshall.
Close to 100 people carrying signs and chanting “Move it for the kids!” joined Lockwood and Marshall on a walk that looped around blocks north and south of Jefferson’s new location.
“We support the move. We think the school board made a great decision and we did this to show our support,” Marshall said. “Until now we were sort of a silent voice.”
Marshall and other supporters will be at the design open house at Jefferson Elementary School tonight.
“We feel like the school district has addressed every issue, from traffic impact to the impact on property values, to make the best decision with the money they have,” said Marshall. “The opponents are not easily pacified. Maybe they don’t want to see a beautiful new school in the neighborhood?”
Fur has been flying at neighborhood and school board meetings since the possibility of moving Jefferson was introduced. Opponents to the new location claim, among many points of contention, that moving the school will bring too much bus and car traffic onto narrow South Hill streets and negatively impact the historic Manito neighborhood.
The school district maintains that it’s cheaper to build a school in the new location than to remodel the old one, and also that it’s safer for the students because it’s farther away from Grand Boulevard traffic.
The decision to move Jefferson followed an extensive process in which the district presented six different options for how to construct a new Jefferson Elementary School – including rebuilding it in its current location – and held numerous design meetings and public forums. The budget for Jefferson is $25.1 million.
Marshall said she has been at every school board meeting and every public meeting, showing her support of the new location. She said most of the people opposed to moving Jefferson are older people who no longer have a need for an elementary school.
On the other hand, opponents claim those supporting the move don’t live in the neighborhood.
“I live just five houses from here,” said Marshall, while standing on the corner of 37th Avenue and Manito Boulevard Sunday afternoon. “I will feel the impact of the traffic and the kids.”
Bancroft senior presses on toward graduation day 
WillyPeter on October 07 at 9:22 a.m.
Why am I not surprised.
Another biased Spokesman article siding with the School Board, District 81, and Montessori.
The picture shows about ten (+/-) adults. And a ‘gaggle’ of children and dogs. And this is a true and fair representation of the Comstock Neighborhood’s position of Jefferson’s relocation? Where are the comments from neighborhood residents - some of the hundreds (thousands?) - who have signed petitions and commented that Jefferson should remain at its present location?
Surely a comparable article supporting these many neighborhood citizens will appear any day now in the Review.
lillyhancock on October 07 at 5:20 p.m.
@willy…
Don’t hold your breath! You know you won’t see a fair Spokesman article about this issue! All the Spokesman does is regurgitate the District 81’s talking points!
dicemb on October 10 at 9:30 a.m.
WillyPeter, your comments regarding this article convey exactly your true feelings regarding your concern for the children of the neighborhood…were you using the term ‘gaggle’ to mean a noisy or disorderly group? We were a bit noisy at the beginning and the end of this positive, respectful rally as we had to use a bull-horn so that the “ten +/- adults” could hear what as being said; the more than 100 participants were never disorderly or disrespectful. Were you using ‘gaggle’ as a term of venery as it used to be used by ‘gentlemen’ to distinguish themselves from those beneath them? I know you didn’t think those were geese out there. Either way, it shows that you think of them as irritants.
WillyPeter on October 12 at 9:02 a.m.
Stretch much, dicemb? Look up ‘gaggle’ in Webster’s. Nothing derogatory there. You probably need to spend a little more time studying the English language and stop the spinning. But, then, ad hominem is a routine tactic used by those incapable of conversing intelligently.
So you know my true feelings? What an incredibly arrogant comment. Thank goodness you’re not running for the School Board…….:-)
You’re not a Montessori parent, are you?