Protesters take on Renton High School expansion

Two hours before the June 25 Renton School Board meeting, a protest took place outside the IKEA Performing Arts Center at Renton High School, where people with For A Better Renton held up signs, chanted and took signatures for their new petition, which calls to stop the expansion of Renton High School.

Over 30 protesters were present, carrying signs that read, “Honk if you support people not parking lots,” “Stop the Waste RSD” and “Save Catherine’s home!!!” One protester named Angie Laulainen said that she was there to support her friend Catherine Ploue-Smith.

“They’re taking her home. I wanted to help her save her home,” Laulainen said.

At an April 24 public hearing, the school board unanimously voted to approve the condemnation of Ploue-Smith’s property, which is the final piece of land needed for the district to expand and replace the high school.

The protest included local community leaders like For A Better Renton president Sheryl Friesz and former Renton City Councilmember Marcie Palmer, who said that the issue of eminent domain had brought her to South 2nd Street that day.

“Here we go again with our school district, only now it’s not one family or four families, it’s 32 families and eight businesses and it’s wrong,” Palmer said, referring to the school district’s use and threat of eminent domain in the 1960s. “I feel like we were misled on the bond issue, that they’re not using the money for what the citizens want.”

The bond, which passed in November 2022 by 64%, was Resolution No. 14-21/22 or “Proposition No. 1 Bonds to Improve Safety and Replace Renton High School.” From the King County website, the bond authorized the school district to construct a new high school to replace Renton High and to acquire land, among other authorizations.

As the plans to expand and replace the school have progressed, more Renton residents have become angry with the school board. It has also become a key issue for the For A Better Renton association. Palmer said that the association seeks to have candidates run against school board members Dr. Avanti Bergquist and Pam Teal, who are up for re-election this year.

“That’s what needs to happen. For too long, it’s been unopposed. The candidates that have been put in the school board have been hand chosen, carefully picked by the superintendent and the current school board to continue the work that they want. No opposing. No posing new fresh ideas. They picked the people that they know will continue to carry on,” said Palmer.

Fifteen minutes before the school board meeting, the protesters filed into the performing arts center and sat in on the meeting until public comments, where representatives from For A Better Renton, South Renton Connection and North Renton Neighborhood spoke to the board about the petition.

“We have a particular vision we want to share with you that we think represents the essence of our letter we’re presenting to you today. Our vision is that equity is investing in RHS students of color and uplifting its neighboring communities that mostly reflects immigrants and people of color. We believe that we can preserve and improve a historic school while honoring past investments and protecting public trust,” they said.

Following their comments, a physical copy of the petition was given to Superintendent Dr. Damien Pattenaude and the school board.