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Bellingham superintendent meeting canceled, Larrabee think tank created

ZOE FRALEY; THE BELLINGHAM HERALD
Published: March 15, 2013 at 4:15 p.m. PDT — Updated: March 15, 2013 at 3:58 p.m. PDT
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BELLINGHAM - A public meeting with Bellingham schools Superintendent Greg Baker scheduled for Tuesday, March 19, has been canceled, after a series of meetings with Larrabee Elementary families and the surrounding community.

Baker has met with Larrabee parents, the Larrabee PTA and the Happy Valley Neighborhood Association to get feedback on the potential closure of Larrabee as part of the district's 10-year facilities plan.

If Larrabee closes, students would go to a remodeled Lowell or a newly constructed Happy Valley.

At the March 19 meeting, Baker was going to gather community input about the facilities plan, but district spokeswoman Tanya Rowe said the meeting didn't seem necessary after the recent southside meetings. The district has received only one online comment about the plan, she said. Anyone who would like to submit comments online can go to bellinghamschools.org and click on "Facilities Planning Task Force" on the left side of the screen to find a link for feedback.

In response to parents who wanted to know when Larrabee might close, the district has formed a new think tank of parents and staff from Happy Valley, Lowell and Larrabee, neighborhood representatives and district staff. The think tank will come up with a recommendation for a timeline for closure if the district decides to close Larrabee. That decision has yet to be made.

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