ARLINGTON — People have another chance tonight to tell the Arlington School Board what they think about the proposed closure of Trafton Elementary School.
The board listened for nearly two hours on May 10 to parents, students, teachers and Trafton alumni talk about the beloved school.
Some of the questions posed at the last public hearing are answered on the school district website. Provided by district spokeswoman Misti Gilman, the district’s statements include:
All Arlington elementary schools met the state’s Adequate Yearly Progress standard.
Three days before the deadline, the Trafton parent group passed onto the school district for completion a grant request for $50,000 from Lowe’s to help refurbish Trafton. Because of the short deadline, the district was only able to apply for $18,000.
The cost per student, minus staffing, at Trafton is higher than the other elementary schools’ per-student costs.
The Keep Trafton Alive community group plans to present new facts and figures about the school building at the hearing tonight, parent Karalu Bradley said in an e-mail.
“Additionally, we will present a sound and well-researched solution to the restoration of the building itself, complete with the guaranteed funding required to perform the restoration,” Bradley said.
Forced to address declining state revenue, Arlington School Board members in March set a deadline of June 14 to decide the future of Trafton. State law requires that the school district conduct a review before closing any school.
The proposed closure of the historic school building could save an estimated $275,000 at a time when the district is looking at a $1.7 million budget shortfall.
The possible closure of Trafton is under review in part because district officials see a need for extensive building repairs. The school uses several portable buildings that are about 20 years old, and there is no money to replace them. Parent groups argue that Trafton has been neglected, but that it remains a safe, usable building.
Room exists at other elementary schools in Arlington for all the students who attend Trafton, and those schools are in better physical shape, school district officials say. Trafton Elementary serves 135 students, kindergartners through fifth-graders, in one classroom per grade. The school has a waiting list of prospective students. Trafton is a school of choice, meaning students from throughout the school district can choose to attend there.
The school building is listed on the state Heritage Register and the National Register of Historic Places. Established in 1888, Trafton is considered among the oldest continuously operating schools in the state.
Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com.
Last public hearing tonight
The second and last public hearing regarding the possible closure of Trafton Elementary School is set for 6 tonight at Presidents Elementary School, 505 E. Third St., Arlington.
More information is available at www.asd.wednet.edu and www.keeptraftonalive.com.
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