Sealth/Denny plan hit by parents, union lawsuit

A lawsuit aimed at derailing the plan to build a new Denny Middle School next to a refurbished Chief Sealth High School is "without merit" and should be quashed, says a spokesman for Seattle Public Schools.

A group of parents and a union filed suit on March 29 seeking the court to order the school district to halt plans for the co-location of the two schools. The plan would keep Denny open until a new school is built next to the current Sealth High School, which would get major renovations and a new power plant.

Some of those filing the suit say they are concerned "about property values, parking, traffic, crime, loitering and other effects on their neighborhood," according to the suit.

Parent Steven D. Taylor says he is a parent of a child at Chief Sealth, one at Denny Middle School and a child in kindergarten nearby. The kindergartener would attend Denny "if the school is not closed and a new non-traditional grade 6-12 New Denny Middle School/Chief Sealth High School is created." That would mean his youngest child would face problems attending school with "18-19 year olds when she enters the sixth grade."

The union is the International Operating Engineers Local 609, which has members working as custodians, security personnel, food service and grounds keepers working at the two schools, including . The co-location plan could cause some of these people to lose their jobs and others to be under increased risk because of "mixing middle and high school aged students" and because of a potential "of as many as 2,500 students in grades 6 - 12."

Some parents made these complaints to the school board and during community meetings over the past year, some dismissing as false the district's suggestion that all of the co-location was set forth in the February 2007 Building Excellence III bond issue which approved $490 million for school construction projects. The opponents have said the wording of the bond issue did not specifically say the two campuses would be brought together.

The measure said only that there would be a "replacement" of Denny and high school improvements including "renovation of Chief Sealth."

West Seattle School Board member Steve Sundquist did not respond to a telephoned request for comment on the suit.

School spokesman David Tucker said the suit was "without merit" and school lawyers would seek its dismissal.

Jack Mayne may be contacted at 932.0300 or jmayne@robinsonnews.com