Public Hearing Being Held About Columbia Elementary Closure
The Wenatchee School District (WSD) Board of Directors will hold a public hearing regarding the proposed closure of Columbia Elementary School next Thursday, March 21.
District spokesperson, Diana Haglund, says the meeting is the first of two that will be held about the potential closure.
"The purpose of the public is to give an opportunity for them (public) to be heard and give them a chance to engage with the board. We're required by law to hold at least one public meeting when proposing the closure of any school, but our district is making sure that we are providing two opportunities for those individuals who might not be able to make it to one of those hearings."
Haglund adds that those who are interested in making a statement about the proposed closure must be in attendance at one of the two meetings.
"What's different for these hearings versus our regular board meetings is that we will only be accepting public comments and testimony in person. There will be no availability for remote commenting through Zoom."
The district is also prohibiting any signs, banners or other displays inside the meeting space before, during, and after the hearing.
All speakers must complete a public comment form prior to speaking.
English speakers will be given three minutes of comment time and Spanish speakers will be allowed seven minutes to accommodate for interpretation. The district will also be providing interpretive services in Spanish.
Only one comment will be allowed per person and 'donating’ time to others so they can speak longer will not be allowed.
The school board will not respond to any of the comments or questions it receives during testimony.
Public comments are also being accepted by the school board via email at school_board@wenatcheeschools.org.
The hearings will also be live-streamed and recorded for playback on the district’s YouTube channel.
The first public hearing will take place from 6-9 p.m. in the Wenatchee High School Commons at 1101 Millerdale Avenue in Wenatchee.
The second hearing will be held on April 18 at the same time and location.
The board is expected to make a final decision about closing Columbia Elementary during its regularly-scheduled board meeting on May 14.
More From The Quake 102.1
