Frequently Asked Questions

Consolidation

1. Why is the district studying consolidating middle schools?

Middle school enrollment is projected to significantly decline over the next eight years. The district has retained the services of two demographers to understand enrollment trends and whether there is a need to consolidate a middle school to maintain current programs, service levels and opportunities for students.  

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2. Is the district consolidating middle schools this year?

The district is considering consolidating one middle school to maintain current middle school programs, service levels, and opportunities for students. There have been no decisions made, and the district will consider feedback from the community in the development of a proposal to address declining middle school enrollment.

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3. Is the decision about consolidating a comprehensive middle school pre-determined?

No, a decision has not yet been made. The district is gathering input to understand multiple perspectives and input from the community. Based on this input and other data, a recommendation will be shared with the community for feedback in January 2024.

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4. Consolidation has been presented as one option. What are the other options? Why does consolidation seem like the preferred option?

Consolidating schools is about right sizing the district for the number of students currently enrolled and anticipated in the next 10+ years. Consolidation leaves funds for investing in new and innovative programming and maintaining programs that have proved beneficial to students, including access to mental health supports, world language opportunities, music, art, and STEM programs.

In addition to consolidating schools, reductions have already been made in other areas of the district, including significant reductions in central office. With or without consolidating schools, it is likely that additional reductions in spending will have to be identified. The district is not alone in facing budget challenges due to losses in enrollment. Many districts in the state are facing similar decisions such as Issaquah, Northshore and Seattle. Many have opted for reducing student programing such as counseling, library technicians, nurses, curriculum adoptions, music and art programs, and extracurricular programs.

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5. How will the district ensure that the consolidation process is transparent and inclusive?

The district is committed to transparency and will share all pertinent information, including but not limited to feedback from community sessions; continuously building out the FAQs considering all suggestions and ideas provided through community sessions and the [email protected] email; and providing information in the format requested by community members.

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6. What will happen if the district does not consolidate a school?

Without addressing enrollment loss, the district will need to make budget adjustments as the state funds school districts based on student enrollment. The biggest impact will be on staffing, which will result in reduced programs, services and student opportunities like course offerings.

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7. Who makes the decision to consolidate a school?

Closing a school building and consolidating school communities is a School Board decision based on a proposal provided by the Superintendent.  The Superintendent’s proposal will be informed by feedback from community engagement.

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8. When will a decision be made?

A decision is anticipated in March of 2024.

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9. If the district consolidates a middle school, what will happen to the empty building?

Any consolidated school will be repurposed for educational use. Repurposing could include the use of the building by another school. 

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10. Where will students go to school if their school is consolidated?

A consolidated school’s student population will be combined with one or more of the remaining middle schools. 

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11. Will the district consider consolidating high schools?

The district will continue to monitor enrollment and demographic data so that it has the resources it needs to provide programs and services for all students. The district is not considering consolidating any of the four comprehensive high schools, nor changing high school boundaries.

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12. What happens to staff members if their school is consolidated?

Employee groups have collective bargaining agreements (CBA) with provisions that address transfers and changes of assignment due to lower enrollment, school closures and boundary changes.  

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13. How does the Reimagining Middle Schools initiative from last school year connect to this study?

The Reimagining Middle Schools (RMS) work is applicable to all five comprehensive middle schools regardless of school size or number of middle schools. The RMS Committee proposed two recommended models: Advisory/Homeroom and Problem-Based Learning (PBL). For more information visit the RMS webpage. 

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Services

14. How will the district ensure that the current level of services is maintained if a school is consolidated (e.g., students with disabilities, additional resources provided by Title I funding, and multilingual learners)?

There will be no reduction in the level of services provided to students. The Middle School Consolidation Study is focused on the efficiency of our fiscal, human and facility resources to maintain the level of service and programs that the BSD community expects. The preservation of the current level of services is a major consideration in decision making, guided by the critical criteria outlined in Procedure 0130 – Equity and Accountability to collectively define priorities, barriers, and constraints; develop potential solutions; and evaluate the extent to which the final recommendation furthers equity and belonging.

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15. Is the district considering eliminating the Advanced Learning (AL) program?

The district is not planning to eliminate the Advanced Learning Program. No decisions have been made about middle schools, including whether Advanced Learning remains at two middle schools or are expanded to more than two middle schools. If the district does decide is to consolidate a middle school, the district will still provide the same course offerings of Advanced Learning English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies taught by teachers trained in specific advanced learning instructional techniques for a cohort of eligible students. It is also important to point out that Advanced Learning is a service that students who are identified as highly capable, are entitled to.

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16. If a school is consolidated, will students be provided with transportation to the new school?

If the student lives more than one mile from their new school, the district will provide transportation.

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Choice Schools and Programs

17. Is a middle school being consolidated so that International School can have a new facility? 

International School needs a new facility. However, this need is not the driver for considering middle school consolidation. The district continues to have access to bond funds approved by voters in 2020 to build a new facility if necessary. Middle school enrollment has dropped by 375 students since 2019, and elementary school enrollment has dropped by 1,467 students during the same time. This enrollment loss in elementary schools will be felt at middle schools over the next few years. The district currently has capacity for an additional 2,000 middle school students in our middle school buildings, and this number is forecasted to increase to over 2,400 in the next four years — which is equivalent to 2.2 middle school buildings. The question facing the district and community is how to best utilize district resources as enrollment continues to decline.

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18. Why doesn’t the district close a choice school (International and/or Big Picture) and return those students to their neighborhood schools?

Both choice schools for grades 6-12 are in high demand by the community (families apply and students are accepted by lottery) and provide options for students and families that meet student needs. Their programs are continuous programs with each year building upon the previous. They do not have discreet middle school programs and are not considered middle schools. Closing these schools will not solve the loss in revenue due to the enrollment loss. Eliminating choice schools would return 519 students to comprehensive middle schools. While that would increase enrollment in the short-term, it would not solve the forecasted enrollment decline in middle school.

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19. How will the district ensure that the language programs (Spanish and Mandarin Dual Language and Spanish Immersion) are preserved and strengthened?

The district has no plans to reduce or eliminate middle school language programs (Mandarin Dual Language and Spanish Immersion at Tillicum and Spanish Dual Language at Highland) no matter what the decision is regarding middle school consolidation. The district plans to continue to invest in and expand opportunities for students at all levels to become bilingual and biliterate.

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20. Why are Big Picture and International schools not a part of this study?

Big Picture and International are choice schools for grades 6-12 (students apply and are accepted by lottery). Their programs are continuous programs with each year building upon the previous. They do not have discreet middle school programs and are not considered middle schools.

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Budget

Learn more about School Funding Sources.

21. We pay high taxes, how can there possibly be a budget challenge in Bellevue?

Property taxes go to multiple jurisdictions including the City of Bellevue, King County, the King County Library, Washington state, school districts, and a few other public entities. Almost one-third of the property taxes you pay go to the state for schools. A portion of these funds are returned to the district via a funding formula based on student enrollment. The remainder of the funds are sent to other districts throughout the state.

Just over 28% of your property taxes go to the Bellevue School District. These funds are designated for three different purposes — the general fund that supports day to day operations; the capital and technology fund that supports technology purchases and significant building maintenance projects; and a bond repayment fund to pay off the debt used to finance the construction of new buildings and additions. These funds cannot be mixed or used for other purposes.

The taxes that go to the general fund, like the state funds the district receives, are calculated based on student enrollment — as enrollment declines, the district collects less and, therefore, have less funds to support the day-to-day operations of the district.

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22. What about the construction bonds that were passed? Can we use that money to solve the budget challenges caused by declining enrollment?

When construction bonds are passed by the voters, the voters are giving the district permission to assume debt in the form of bonds for construction of new buildings or additions. These bonds are not sold until they are needed. The district collects taxes to pay off the debt, principal and interest when due. Most of the recent bonds have not yet been sold, and the authorization to use them remains. Money from bonds or the taxes collected to repay the bonds cannot legally be used for day-to-day operations of the school district.

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23. Can we hold another levy election to solve the budget challenges caused by declining enrollment?

The levy funds that can be used for day-to-day district operations is called an Enrichment Levy or Education Programs and Operations (EP&O) levy. The amount the district can collect locally is limited by the state to the lower of $3,105 per student, or $2.50 per $1,000 of assessed value. For Bellevue, it is limited to $3,105 per student and the district has been collecting the total amount annually. Even if voters approve a higher collection amount, the district cannot increase local tax funding or hold an additional levy election.

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24. Why doesn’t the district sell property like the Ringdall site to help solve the budget challenges caused by declining enrollment?

Money received from the sale or leasing of assets must be deposited in the Capital and Technology Fund. The use of this money is limited by law to technology purchases and significant building maintenance projects, such as replacing roofs, HVAC systems and flooring. This money cannot be used to support day-to-day operations like salaries, curriculum, supplies or utilities. For more information, please visit the School Funding 101 – Understanding Our Money Sources webpage.

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25. Has the district advocated to the Washington State Legislature for additional funding?

The district has a robust legislative advocacy program and works closely with the senators and representatives in our delegation from the 41st and 48th districts and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). Annually, the Board adopts legislative priorities and meets regularly with our senators and representatives throughout the year during and outside of when the Legislature is in session. The district is also a member of various education organizations, including Washington State School Directors Association (WSSDA) and Washington Association of School Administrators (WASA) which work with state representatives and OSPI regularly to represent the interests of school districts. In addition, the district employs a lobbyist to ensure that it is fully aware of legislative proposals and can provide input.

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26. Has the district sought funding from corporations or additional funding from parents?

While the district appreciates any funding it receives from families, corporations, and the Bellevue Schools Foundation in the form of donations, these funds cannot be relied upon for the development of the annual budget. As a result, the district cannot build student programs based on funds that are not guaranteed. These funds, however, can be used to support innovations and other student opportunities, but they will not solve the ongoing budget shortfall.

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Enrollment

27. The City of Bellevue is planning for growth and actively supporting the construction of more affordable housing. This appears to conflict with the district’s projections.

While the City of Bellevue is planning for growth in jobs and an increase in residents, including some affordable housing for families, not all those families will be new to the district. In addition, the affordable housing includes studios, one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom units, so not all units will have school-aged children. Most of the residential growth in Bellevue will be market-based housing which is largely not affordable for families with school-age children.

The biggest issue regarding our enrollment decline is the drop in birth and fertility rates across the nation, in Washington state, and in King County. For example, the fertility rate for King County has dropped from 59.2 pregnancies per 1,000 women between the ages of 15 – 44 in 2015, to 45.1 in 2022. For more information regarding the broader forecasted decline of K-12 enrollment, the following report may be of interest: Declining Enrollment in Public K-12 Schools, Ernst & Young, January 2023.

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28. Middle school enrollment is currently at 4,434, and pre-pandemic in 2019 it was at 4,809. That is only a decline of 375 students. How can the district be confident enrollment will continue to decline? We may have finally stabilized from COVID. Why don’t we wait two more years to see how enrollment is trending before deciding?

Although middle school enrollment has declined by 375 students, this does not include the increase in nonresident students. If the district did not enroll 237 nonresident students, it would be down 616 students from the enrollment peak. The district is confident in its projections and believes that enrollment has stabilized from the pandemic uncertainty.

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29. Why doesn’t the district just accept more nonresident students? What is the downside if we accept more/continue to accept nonresident students?

Nonresident student enrollment has grown by 293 students or 40% this year, to 1,011 students. Even with this growth in nonresident students, the district has lost 1,120 students in the last four years. The grade-level cohort sizes range from 1,333 at kindergarten, to approximately 1,700 at high schools. To maintain the same level of enrollment, the district would have to add approximately 400 nonresident students annually. With the continuing decline in birthrates, we do not expect larger kindergarten cohorts for at least the next five years.

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30. Can I apply for Open Transfer if my student’s school is consolidated?

Families can apply annually for Open Transfer to a different school other than their attendance-area school. The Open Transfer and Choice Schools and Programs application period for the 2024-2025 academic year will take place from Monday, December 11, 2023, to Friday, January 19, 2024. If a school is consolidated, the district will continue to accept Open Transfer applications from the consolidated school. The district will prioritize Open Transfer applications from the consolidated school. For more information, visit the Open Transfer webpage.

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