Coupeville Elementary School Relocation
COER AND SDA RESPONSE
The Coupeville Community,
We support the Coupeville School District's desire to provide our children with safe, modern and appropriate educational facilities. I also recognize that the existing elementary school is aging and that a replacement may be necessary.
However, the proposed Terry Road/Ebey Road site deserves additional careful consideration before the community commits to a major, long-term investment.
A primary concern is aircraft noise from the Navy's EA-18G Growler operations.
The Navy's own recent environmental analysis identifies Coupeville Elementary as a school potentially affected by Growler noise and projects an increase in daytime outdoor noise at the existing school. The analysis also discusses potential effects of aircraft noise on children's reading performance and learning. While these findings should not be interpreted as proof that Growler noise is causing educational problems, they certainly warrant careful consideration when selecting the location of a new elementary school.
The proposed Terry/Ebey site is a different location from the existing elementary school. Therefore, we believe the district should obtain and make public an independent, site-specific aircraft noise analysis of both sites before final selection of the final site..
COER and SDA have ten years of noise data from third party investigations, the Navy’s own Noise study mandated by Congress, the Department of the Interior, and the University of Washington’s recent Heath Study that could be shared with the community and the school board.
That analysis should consider not only average noise levels, but also the frequency and intensity of individual Growler events, classroom conditions, speech intelligibility, recess and outdoor activities, and the projected future level of Navy operations.
Children spend many hours at school. We should not simply ask whether a building can be soundproofed. We also need to consider the effect of repeated aircraft noise on children's ability to concentrate, communicate, learn and enjoy outdoor activities.
A second concern is future enrollment.
Whidbey Island, like many communities, is experiencing demographic changes, and Coupeville's student population has declined from previous levels. A new school is a decades-long investment. Before designing and financing a large new elementary school, we believe the district should clearly demonstrate its projected enrollment for 2030, 2040 and beyond.
We respectfully ask the district to consider:
1. A site-specific independent Growler noise study and safety study for both sites.
2. A comparison of the Terry/Ebey and existing school sites using the same criteria for noise, safety, traffic, environmental impacts, cost and educational suitability.
3. Long-term enrollment projections and the number of classrooms actually needed over the next 20–30 years.
4. Consideration of how future changes in Navy operations could affect the site over the life of the new school.
5. Full public disclosure of the information used to make the final site recommendation.
This is not an argument against building a new school. It is an argument for getting the location and the size right before the community makes a decision that will affect Coupeville children and taxpayers for generations.
If we are going to invest tens of millions of dollars in a school expected to serve children for the next 50 years, we owe those children more than a building that meets today's requirements. We owe them a location where they can learn, concentrate, play and thrive.
We hope the School Board will take the time necessary to fully evaluate these questions before making its final decision. The Boards of COER and SDA are ready and willing to help by sharing our collective information with decision-makers.
Thank you for considering the concerns of members of the community who want the very best for Coupeville's children.