Eighteen residents share concerns with School Board regarding condemnation and budget cuts

Opening Screen of Renton School Board in-person and zoom meeting, 4/23/2025

Eighteen Renton community members shared concerns at the April 23rd Renton School Board meeting regarding budget cuts and eminent domain takings. (This meeting was followed the next day by a special meeting to authorize the condemnation of a house on Tobin.)

Renton residents expressed deep concerns regarding the Board’s proposed elimination of school librarians and other key staff, while they simultaneously spend tens of millions of dollars taking homes and businesses by threat of eminent domain to adjust Renton High School’s footprint.

The zoom portion of the meeting was recorded, and the audio is good quality.  I’ve included it in this post.  Unfortunately, the visual part of the recording only includes a thumbnail-size video of the Board Chambers, and does not include the speaker’s podium during audience comment.  But this does not interfere with understanding the commentary.

There were two sessions of audience comment.  I’ve included both of them in their original audio, and in an Apple Notes “voice-to-text” transcription.  The voice-to-text is imperfect, and I apologize to the speakers that I don’t have time to go through and correct all the errors.  It is useful for helping those of you reading to quickly see what was covered, and you can listen to the video for an accurate record.

Here is the first period of  audience comment from the zoom video, including the first ten comments:

Here is the second period of audience comments from the zoom video:

For background on some of the concerns mentioned, please see my earlier posts including Renton High School is already $126 million over voter-approved budget;  The Renton High grad that made the music we grew up with;   Beautiful $11,500,000 Renton High Science Center, completed last year, to be demolished;  Renton High’s proposed baseball field could be the nation’s most expensive ever;  Did we really vote to condemn all these homes?;  Renton School Board sends world-class glass studio packing; and  Public Hearing tonight on School District use of Eminent Domain for Renton High School.

A blow-up of the thumbnail video showing Renton’s school superintendent (on left) and all board members were present.

And then, below the cut is the automated transcript of the audience comment.  Again, my apologies for the electronic transcription errors…please listen to the videos for the official record.

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