Shoreline Landmarks Commission notice of hearing regarding Ronald School

Oct 14 is your chance to comment.   Click here to read the whole thing

Meeting tonight regarding future design of Shorewood High School (and old Ronald School)

If you've been following or are interested in the future of Shorewood High School, the future of the old Ronald School and the future of the Shoreline Historical Museum, you might like to attend the community meeting tonight. Here is information from the Shorewood Design Team webpage:

Help us plan a new Shorewood High School at our next Community Outreach Meeting Thursday, June 4, 2009 7 to 9 p.m. Shorewood High School Library 17300 Fremont Ave. North

Planning is under way for replacement of Shorewood High School, and the SW design team would welcome your participation in the process. Please join your neighbors in helping us hear your priorities for a new Shorewood.

Response from the March 19 community meeting, along with further design team feedback, will be used to refine the alternatives so that a preferred approach may be presented in a third community meeting on June 4.

To contact the Shorewood Design Team to give comments, please use this e-mail address: sw.design@shorelineschools.org

To send your comments by mail, please use this address:

Shoreline School District
Attn: Di Mikesell
18560 First Avenue NE
Shoreline, WA 98155

See all posts about this issue (and click where it says 'comments' to see what your neighbors have been saying.

Reader comments concerning the future of the old Ronald School

We've been posting about an unfolding story concerning the future of the "old Ronald School" - an historic brick schoolhouse in Shoreline that currently houses The Shoreline Historical Museum. There are conflicting (or at least unresolved) reports about what the future holds for the old Ronald School. Shoreline Historical Museum seems to think it is going to have to move out of its location at Ronald School (which is owned by Shoreline Schools), while Shoreline Schools maintains that no decision has been made yet.

Here are parts of a couple of comments posted to the blog concerning this issue:

Janet Way wrote:

I urge all citizens and history enthusiasts to jump into action to Save the Museum! Send letters to Shoreline School Board. Send letters to Shoreline Enterprise and Seattle Times.
This place matters to Shoreline and the North Seattle area!

Anonymous wrote (excerpt):

In talking to dozens of parents of Shoreline elementary school children, only one could actually name where the museum was. Not one had ever visited it.

Meanwhile, every single parent knew where Shorewood was and at almost all had attended at least one event there (sporting, drama, or community).

I don't think the museum has done a good job reaching out to the community. As a future Shorewood parent, I don't care about the museum at all. I do care that my child goes to school in an up-to-date facility.

What do YOU think? Post your thoughts to the comments section.

Link to see both of these comments in their entirety

Link to read all posts related to this issue

Sustainable Shoreline passes resolution concerning future of old Ronald School

The future of the old Ronald School has been getting a lot of attention lately. The Shoreline Historical Museum seems to think it's going be forced out of the old Ronald School by Shoreline Schools (which owns the building), while Shoreline Schools says no decision has yet been made. Now "Sustainable Shoreline Education Association" (SSEA) is taking a public stance on the matter.

SSEA has passed a resolution concerning the future of the old Ronald School. The resolution was passed at SSEA's general membership meeting on May 22nd, 2009.

Here is the resolution in its entirety:


SUSTAINABLE SHORELINE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
Resolution

Whereas the old Ronald School has historic value to the community, and

Whereas the old Ronald School houses the museum, and

Whereas the Sustainable Shoreline Education Association believes that
sustainability includes understanding our history, and

Whereas an important part of good education values history, and

Whereas maintaining a museum inside the old Ronald School provides
context as an educational tool, and

Whereas the Shoreline Historical Museum inside the old Ronald School
is a vital part of our community,

Be it therefore resolved that we, the Sustainable Shoreline Education
Association urges the Shoreline School District to fulfill their prime
directive to support education by retaining the Shoreline Historical
Museum inside the old Ronald School, a historically landmarked
building.

Bill Bear
President Sustainable Shoreline Education Association
www.sustainableshoreline.org

Link to read all posts regarding this issue

Shoreline Schools says no decision yet concerning future of Ronald School and Shoreline Historical Museum

We recently posted information from Shoreline Historical Museum that the Museum was going to be forced to move from its current location at the old Ronald School.

Among the information we got from the Museum was a copy of a letter sent to "Members, Donors and Friends." The letter was written by Robert Phelps, President of the Shoreline Historical Museum. Part of his letter reads as follows:

Two weeks ago we accidentally became aware that the Shoreline School Board is planning to move the Museum out of its present place in the 1912 Ronald Elementary School, where it has resided for 33 years. Of course, this was a great surprise to all of our Board members, who have worked toward restoration of the building, and toward fulfilling the educational mission of the Museum.

Despite the fact that the School District has 26 acres of property on which to site their new building, the superintendent said at a public meeting of the Richmond Highlands Neighborhood Association on May 5th that the Museum would not be staying in the Ronald School building. The school board has never openly asked or involved the Museum, which is a stakeholder on the property. In all the months of planning, this is the first time such a specific pronouncement has been made, and it was not made to us directly.

Up until a few days ago, no one from the school district had formally contacted the director, board members or anyone else at the Museum, except for a letter of April 30, 2008 stating that they were analyzing the rebuilding of Shorewood, but saying nothing about evicting the Museum. We invited the school board president and representatives to attend our board meeting on May 20, 2009. At that meeting, they stated that “no decision has been made” however, they did say that none of the preferred plans include keeping the Museum in the Ronald School Building. (click here to read the letter in its entirety)

In response to that previous post, we were contacted by Craig Derringer, Public Information Officer with Shoreline Schools. Here is part of his message:

There is no "eviction" or "impending closure" of the Shoreline Historical Museum. The Shoreline School Board has not made any decision about the future of Ronald School which houses the museum.

The recent letter to Mayor Ryu (read it here) provides specifics related to the Historical Museum's lease, site issues and the Shorewood High School redesign process. As explained in the letter, the District has not reached any final decisions regarding the future of the Ronald School property and building, although the size of the Shorewood site is quite restrictive when trying to create equity with the Shorecrest site, which is 12 acres larger.

Museum leadership was specifically notified of this process as far back as April 2008. Members of the Museum staff and board have been present at all of the Community Outreach meetings for the Shorewood design planning, where the process has been transparent and inclusive.

We (Shoreline Schools) invite the community to our next community outreach meeting on June 4, 7 pm at both high schools.

Link to read a letter written from School Supt. Walker to Museum director Vicki Stiles in April 2008 regarding the District beginning the Shorewood High School design process