Community meeting · Tuesday, November 3
What we heard
By the numbers
- About 50 people joined in person and 40 on Zoom, including parents of current students, school staff, community members, and alumni of Cottage Lake and the District.
- The Community Impact Survey had 48 responses at the meeting, and 55 as of Nov 5.
- Five breakout groups, one for each of the Board's draft principles, followed by a vote on the top points.
Survey highlights (self-selected responses, not a poll): about 80% plan to attend Nov 10, about 80% are concerned about traffic, 41% could no longer walk or bike, and about 40% would consider other education options.
What we heard
- Publish the real and complete numbers. Retrofit and transition costs, a multi-year budget for each scenario, and what “capacity” means.
- Protect the students whose services exist only at Cottage Lake, starting with a building-by-building accessibility and specialized-services assessment.
- Count transportation as a cost. Ride times, bus and driver costs, before and after-care, and students who cannot ride far.
- Treat projections as estimates. Review boundaries again in two or three years rather than closing a ready school now.
- Show the benefit to the students who would move. The District has not yet shown it.
- Inclusion is the heart of the school. Parents and staff spoke about students of every ability learning side by side, in a program built over years.
Since the meeting: the District has linked its first savings estimate on its Data page. Our questions respond to it, and we have submitted them in writing.
What happens next
- Tuesday, Nov 10, 5:30–7 pm: the District's community session in the Cottage Lake gym.
- Before Nov 23: send your letter, ahead of the Board presentation.
- Dec 8 – Mar 8: the school-specific public hearing, date to be announced.
- March 8: the Board votes.