COMMENTARY/Evan Smith
By Evan Smith
ShorelineAreaNews Politics Writer
I was one of the 426 voters who provided the margin that the Shoreline School bond issue needed to exceed the required 60 percent for passage.
A few weeks before the February election, I was prepared to vote against the school-construction bond issue because building the new Shorewood High School meant moving the Shoreline Historical Museum from the 98-year-old Ronald School building that it has occupied for 35 years.
Then, in late January, the School District and the Museum board announced the now-famous “agreement in principle.” under which the School District would give the Museum clear title to the building in exchange for the Museum’s moving the building to an adjacent site and dropping its opposition to the bond.
The deal seemed impractical, particularly moving the old stone building, even if it was just across a parking lot, and it seemed to favor the School District, which could build the new high school without having to keep the historic façade of the Ronald building.
Yet, many of us dropped our skepticism when we saw people from both sides celebrating the agreement. People who rarely agreed on anything were joining to promote the bond issue.
Now, we see that it was a sham agreement between a cynical School District and a gullible Museum board, both of whom should have known that there was a possibility that someone else would buy the land to which the building was to be moved.
There’s a tendency to accuse the School District of a land grab, but the District probably knows that the School will be harder to design and build around the Ronald building than it would have been with the building gone.
The Museum board has never been very adept at asserting its position. When the Museum needed space to add an elevator to make it accessible to the handicapped, it gave the School District the right to buy the building for a nominal payment.
I need to take some responsibility. If we cripples hadn’t been so assertive in the 1990s, organizations like the Museum wouldn’t have felt the need to add elevators. In retrospect, I would give up my right to use the Museum in exchange for its being available to my children.
Mr. Smith - I believe you are being too hard on yourself, the only party that has not dealt openly and in good faith in this entire matter has been the school district.
ReplyDeleteThe school district never openly, legally, and fairly provided notice to the museum that it had plans for the building they occupied; for if they had, it would not have at the last hour a poorly conceived "agreement in principle" which clearly the school district never intended to honor that determined the ultimate destiny of Ronald School Museum. Had adequate notice been provided to the museum, I am sure that the last minute agreement in principle would have been unnecessary, but the school district appears to be master prevaricators.
Unwisely, the Museum Board of Directors signed that Agreement in Principle, but it wasn't worth the paper it was written on.
Please don't be too hard on yourself Mr. Smith, since the responsible parties at the school district don't appear to be losing any sleep over this matter or suffering any adverse consequences of any kind, although they should.
Dear Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteAgreed! But the Shoreline School District and Board are not just "Master Prevaricators", they are MASTER PREDATORS.
Yes the Museum Board was gullible, but they went into the deal in good faith. The District's only faith was that by pretending to make a deal, they could scam the good Museum supporters into voting for their own destruction.
Furthermore, the plan for the District all along has been to gut and absorb the historic landmarked Ronald School and "use it" as a means to scarf up big grants to fund their project and polish their tarnished self image.
Big grants are what they want to be able to say "See we're "restoring" the building. See we are honoring history by crushing it. Aren't we
clever!"
What a crime. The caper is nearly complete, but sometimes the criminals get caught in their own web of lies.
I'm not sure where you are getting your information.
ReplyDeleteThe museum was legally and fairly notified of the school district's plans.
The museum NEVER had to agree to the Agreement in Principal. They held all the card. There was no way that the district forced them into it.
The school district never wanted to incorporate the Ronald School building into their new facility. First they wanted to tear it down. Then they wanted it to move. It is going to be a blight on the new property and everyone in the district wishes that the museum was not so incredibly poorly run and mismanaged and that they had solved this problem as they agreed to.
Instead of looking for real solutions and compromises, museum supporters cry on blogs like this and say "the school district lied", "the school district tricked us".
That is not ensuring a future for your project.
The district has acted in a legal fashion. The museum has not done anything constructive in the last five months to save their legacy.
@2:10pm - the project has actually taken more than five months - that is the root of the problem. The school district had a duty to include the museum in the pre-design process. So where are YOU getting your information?
ReplyDeleteA "blight" on the project? Once again, you need to go check your facts. Because the museum building is an official, King County Landmark, there are special laws that the school district must follow in how they treat it, they can't just go and raze it.
But it is nice to know that is what they planned to do all along - thanks for letting the public know that the school district has no respect for tradition, history, or the law.
I am heartbroken at the loss of our museum. I am one of those who would have voted against the bond had I not been told there was an agreement to preserve the museum.
ReplyDeleteFor a number of years, I was a docent at the museum, each year giving hundreds of elementary school children a tour and a trip to the not so distant past. The hands-on set up of the museum, helped kids get an idea of what life was like just a couple of generations ago. The kids loved those visits, and they learned a lot. I learned a lot, too. Learning the history of our community made me feel more connected.
I'm sure the new high school will be wonderful and will give our community's children a great place to learn. I can't help, however, thinking that although we will have gained a new school, as a community, we have lost something more valuable.
@2:54: The school district met every duty required by law on informing the museum of their plans. Why do you say they didn't?
ReplyDeleteAnd, it was clear from the initial design process that the school district did not want the building there, since the building wasn't included in any of the designs. This is not disrespect for the law. But it is a lack of interest in history and tradition. Personally, I don't think it is the district's mission to keep history or tradition. That belongs to the museum. Too bad they are so incompetent that they failed their constituency.
Direct your ire where it belongs.
@3:15 pm - once again, you are misinformed, the building was included in at least one of the 3 options for the proposed redesign.
ReplyDeleteSo, why don't you just admit it? You didn't pay attention to the 3 options for the redesign, did you? You didn't know what SEPA & the state law requires for historical landmarks, did you?
Lying to the public in order to get a bond passed, that is grossly irresponsible since the public would not have paid the money for those high schools, as Mr. Smith pointed out, it was less than 500 votes.
Another lie was that "your taxes would stay the same" about the bonds & levy lift - well, guess what, they are going to go UP. Serial lies, like I said, master prevaricators. Seems to work on the ill-informed like you.
The School owns the land, the Museum owns the building. The museum board is stubborn and doesn't want change, even for the better. It's a landmark that should not be moved. It should be incorporated into the new, well thought out and well designed school. People, you can't destroy this building per various rules and regulations for Landmark buildings. Why can't we have the museum in the new retrofitted landmark of a building?? Business as usual, only better. What's wrong with you people. Oh, and by the way, your taxes are going up because of the economy. Look around you, cities and counties are going broke. Property values have plummeted, and they are going to go down even further. Two good reasons to build a school right now, 1) cost you a fraction of what it would have 2 - 3 years ago. Contractors are rabid about getting a contract like this and are bidding low to get the work. 2) the grant. Stop being ignorant and stupid about this whole thing and just get along. Oops and I'll add a 3rd reason - create some friggin jobs.
ReplyDeleteI am appalled by Evan Smith's victim piece. Bottom line, the museum did not do what they agreed to do to move the museum per the agreement they made with the School District. Stop blaming the school district and start accepting responsibility for your own mistakes.
ReplyDelete@3:59 - I was at those meetings. The only options that anyone spoke about or were excited about did not include the old school buiding. The district doesn't want it and didn't want it, but they are stuck with it because the museum failed.
ReplyDeleteShoreline is not losing the collection and frankly, the building is just not that great for a museum. They could choose to figure out how to sustain the collection and use this opportunity to better serve the community. But they probably won't. Because it is a lot easier to pretend to be a victim than to try and do any work.
It is obvious that the SSD defenders are having trouble facing the reality that their precious School District, School Board and Superintendent from Hell, have perpetrated one of the great heists of the century.
ReplyDeleteAll you SSD groupies want is something shiny and new and "History", what is that?
The only history you care about is what happened five minutes ago.
This is what makes Shoreline such a sick place to live. You all have to live with this reality that you have allowed to happen in your name. The destruction of a Museum that so many people fought to preserve 35 yrs ago (including the Superintendent at that time who is now rolling over in his grave) is an "F", that's a failing grade for all the "education groupies" in Shoreline. Those folks trusted the SSD as a partner and now that partner has chosen betrayal
You all deserve this mess! I hope you are happy with what you've bought.
Anonymous @ 5:27
ReplyDeleteI find your entire post offensive and not appropriate to civil discourse. But typical of the people on the museum's side of the debate who often resort to name calling and assuming that they completely understand the motivations of the other side.
This is why the museum has failed to garner the broader support they need from the community in order to survive.
I would like the historical museum to remain in some fashion in the city and I hope that you and other supporters will try and save it rather than going off on ridiculous tirades like what you posted above.
@6:30 pm - if you think @5:27 is so offensive, then why don't you think @5:24 isn't offensive as well? Because you have a point of view, and your post has offended me and I don't find it civil at all.
ReplyDelete@5:07 pm - I'm so glad I don't have children who have to go to school with any children you might have given your attitude, talk about civil. Too bad the public didn't know what you people really thought before the vote was taken.
Of course people who attended the the pre-design meetings thought it was wonderful, because you didn't include the general public, which included ALL the taxpayers and museum supporters, not to mention the museum board, to attend, did you? It's otherwise known as a kangaroo court, that is an idiomatic term, not name-calling, BTW.
Are you an expert in museology? Do you know what is ideally suited for keeping a collection? Are you an expert in historic architecture? Did you know that there is special certification for historic architecture? Let me guess, all your answers are going to be, if you are honest, no. So how do you know what is best? The school district doesn't know either for that matter.
And the museum didn't fail. They failed to realize that the school district were a bunch of snakes, that is where they failed. Too bad Shoreline's children are being exposed to an administration that is so lacking in basic values.
@ 6:30 pm.
ReplyDeleteIt is appropriate to disagree and be dissatisfied when:
SSD avoided every opportunity to include the Museum and Board in construction planning (stonewalling and ignoring them). While telling everyone they WERE!
From Superintendent Walker's road shows to sell the conceptual designs to the community to the missing Bond issue in the voter pamphlet, to the last minute "Agreement in Principle", the public was led this way, then that way, then yet another way, then sidestepping to avoid losing the Bond. Their actual interest, or non interest in the Ronald School Building was NEVER made clear, creating confusion, uncertainty and unpleasant, delayed surprises for voters, and the Museum Board, too.
Is the ability to obfuscate to this magnitude in order to pass a Bond while destroying a very important local asset, while at the same time giving pay decreases to our dear-essential para-educators, reason to allow SSD administrators to be given thousands in pay increases??? I would think NOT!
I am VERY clear what type of SSD leadership I want, and this is definitely not it!
@5:07 - aren't we lacking in decorum. Do you even know how the bond and levy taxes work? Bet you don't.
ReplyDeleteThe levy is set at base rate per $1,000 valuation of real estate property, that doesn't float. What does float uncapped is the bond rate. So when the Yes for Shoreline School political action committee and the SSD stated that your taxes would not go up, they made a plain language violation, didn't they? You just admitted that, for the bond, your taxes would go up.
However, when did SSD capital projects become some kind of economic stimulus program - taxpayers are paying for education, if they are going to be paying for job creation then we might as well get our museum back.
The best part of the entire debacle is SSD administration is so arrogant that they put the seed money into the Yes on Shoreline Schools PAC. Then SSD gives all the administrators pay raises and once again cuts classroom staff. Great. Here is something the administrators never thought about when they were being so clever about donating money to Yes on Shoreline Schools - their home addresses are now a public record, it must be nice to live in Woodway while you squeeze more concessions out of the teachers aides wages and give yourself a big raise.
@ 7:27: I am offended that someone would say a public servent is "from hell". I am offended that someone would say that if I support the building of a new school, my idea of history is only "five minutes." I am offended that someone would say my beautiful town is a "sick place to live".
ReplyDeleteThese are offensive statements. They are not about discourse or sharing ideas. In fact, I'm surprised that they meet the requiements for content on this site. We can disagree without saying that a public official is the same as a devil.
But, I have not seen that from the museum or from many of the posters on this board. Instead, the museum has managed to actually lose supporters based on this type of behavior.
The SSD isn't perfect. But no one here has shown that anything they have done is illegal. Instead, this insane rhetoric is thrown around. And you say that they are guilty of obfuscation? I suggest you look in the mirror.
@7:27, I am an architect by training, although I don't work in the profession any longer. Would you like to have a real debate of the relative merits of the building from an architectural perspective for a museum? Because I would be happy to do it.
ReplyDeleteIt's also a terrible building for the SSD. Far worse than it was for the museum. Sadly, they are now stuck with it.
"Their actual interest, or non interest in the Ronald School Building was NEVER made clear, creating confusion, uncertainty and unpleasant, delayed surprises for voters, and the Museum Board, too. "
ReplyDeleteI just don't understand how anyone can say this. I went to these meetings, and their desires and intents were very clear.
What did you find unclear?
@9:45 pm - I'm not going to debate you, you can go inform yourself by referring to the National Park Service regulations that I referred in my post, I made no representations about the architectural merits of the building. I stated there are special qualifications for a historic architect, they are detailed in the CFR and if you are not one, then we don't have anything to discuss, do we? That is one of the failings of SSD, the inability to instill the ability to perform basic comprehensive reading, and a new high school building won't help with that, will it?
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, you can't follow a thread, I never stated a SSD employee was from hell. Once again, you need to do some remedial education, don't you? I referred to several offensive posts, but I never used those terms. You are violating the terms of service by accusing me of statements I did not make, but that is typical SSD supporter tactics.
4Culture has granted the Ronald Museum more than a million to restore it, what say to that, but I bet you didn't know that either. You should inform yourself before you opine. Since 4Culture is a taxpayer supported organization, I believe that SSD should reimburse them so that they can fund projects for communities that are more aware than SSD and their supporters.
@9:48 pm - if there is inadequate public notice, then all interested parties are not included.
ReplyDeleteOf course it was clear to you, you received public notice. It was the rest us, the taxpayers, who did not receive notice. SSD didn't feel it necessary to let us know, or the Museum, as an interested/affected party, know for that matter.
Does that make it more clear for you? If you don't get invited to the party you never find out.
@ 9:48 pm
ReplyDeleteI was TOTALLY unclear until about a month before the election.
Then came that "Agreement in Principle" (right before I needed to vote), which still left out critical clarifying details.
Where and when did you get clear on SSD definitive Ronald Building plans? I would love to be informed about that.
Doesn't anyone remember that the SSD even failed to notify the voters in a voters pamphlet about what was on the ballot? They wanted to "hide the ball" throughout the entire process.
ReplyDeleteThey had so little respect for the voters that they didn't bother to send them the information they needed to make up their minds. Maybe that's because they didn't have any idea what they were doing, except that they wanted to get rid of the Museum and have their way with what was left of the building after they gutted it.
It was pretty much a clear case of VOTER FRAUD, plain and simple.
Shoreline School District voters were scammed. It's very clear.
It's a scandal and the School Board and Administration should be fired.
Not only that, now it seems that Capital Funds are currently being transfered into the General Fund to pay for Administrators salary increases and other budget shortfalls.
OMG!!! They had better not be stealing from the Capital Fund in order to pay for those very poorly timed big raises! I was angry. Now I'm trying not to BLOW UP! Please tell me this is not true if you find it's not.
ReplyDeleteNow I can see why the para-eds are getting down to some serious oppositions efforts-A sick-out/strike to get these SSD folks to start getting reasonable.
I'm sorry but, I just had no idea until now that becoming an admin of SSD means you are suddenly a King or Queen. No wonder they treat the rest of us like near surfs and peasants.
Yes it looks that way. They are taking funds earned from selling Southwoods to the City, to pay for "instructional materials". That means in effect, the the funds which should have gone to instructional materials, are now being used for big raises for administrators!
ReplyDeleteSo now, they'll be buying the Museum building and gutting the building for some new fancy uses, and a "historical facade" to enhance their vacuous concept of education which erases history.
Meanwhile, they'll be laying off workers while paying their administrators who live in Woodway, etc. big raises. And Basetti Architects will be cashing their big checks for "historical restoration", which is actual historical destruction.
Not my idea of justice!
Are you saying that the folks who have this MO of hiding from public scrutiny and being very deceptive of their interests and plans, live in Woodway?!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a great place to hide from support staff they take pay away from in order to pay themselves HUGE bonuses, AND from parents who care about the health of their schools/classrooms, AND from history enthusiasts.
I didn't even know Woodway existed until I accidentally drove into it one day when I took a wrong turn. Oh my goodness. No wonder we have a problem in this District. No one living in that place is ever going to empathize with the majority of our citizens. Certainly not with Para-eds or the teachers who depend on them in order to do a proper job of educating.
Administrators living in Woodway. Woodway won't even tax itself to contribute to a library system, but the same administrators have no problems asking Shoreline to tax itself over and over again without telling them how much it will cost and without accountability.
ReplyDeleteNot only that, but Woodway has managed to get Shoreline to pay for all of the Point Wells appeals without paying a dime themselves, and they hate the project more than Shoreline.
I am very curious about this Woodway. If they don't help pay for our Library Systems, I wonder what they do pay taxes on. This is all quite strange.
ReplyDeleteI realize that they may have plenty of spending cash on hand to only buy their books and other resources, but it is everyone's duty to support libraries-such essential parts of a healthy community. It only makes sense that any real sincere administration for Shoreline Schools would indeed support local libraries(via taxes, as everyone else is supposed to) one of the key elements of any modern educated society.
The last anonymous comment was about Woodway's not supporting "our" library system. Woodway, which is in SNOHOMISH COUNTY, voted "no" last year on joining that county's library system. This means that Woodway residents don't pay taxes to the Sno-Isle Library System and don't have the right to check out books from the Edmonds Library or any of the 18 other Sno-Isle branches, or from nearby King County libraries.
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, a few cities in King County aren't part of any library system -- Hunt's Point, Yarrow Point.
Thanks, Evan. I will have to investigate this further. Interesting!
ReplyDelete