The Seattle School Board has heard from several Denny Middle School and Sealth High parents, teachers and students who oppose the district's plan to build a joint campus for the two schools, but it's uncertain whether the board is empowered to overturn the multi-million dollar decision that voters approved in February.

The safety and appropriateness of having younger and older students on the same campus has continually been questioned. Though the principals of the two schools have done their best to assure parents that age groups will, for the most part, be kept separate, many are still skeptical.

Steve Sundquist, sworn in recently as West Seattle's new School Board member replacing retiring Irene Stewart, said the board is not yet sure of its ability to overturn a voter-approved project. But if the project is put off, the district loses capital funds that would be used to enhance student education, he said.

"We all fall under a tremendous amount of time pressure to solve this issue," said Sundquist.

Escalating construction costs in the region have already pressed Seattle Public Schools to accelerate by one year its plans to build the $125 million shared campus. Construction costs are rising steadily by about 12 percent to 24 percent a year.

As a result, the capital project team has also requested an additional $3 million in reserves to cover the cost for Denny-Sealth.

The project was approved as part of the district's Building Excellence III program, which was included in a $490 million capital bond initiative approved in February by voters. It funds the replacement and renovation of seven schools.

Due to hikes in construction costs, most of the projects are now pricier than what was originally projected in the bond, so the six-year program will be condensed into four.

Delfino Munoz, a Sealth employee and member of a team that is helping the district design the combined campus, said most of the Sealth staff has voted against the project as the design has become more concrete.

"There's no more credible talk about keeping the two schools separate," said Munoz. "There's a lack of any authentic process involving staff and community."

Munoz said it's not fair that Sealth has to accept a "two-for-one special," while other high schools in the district get completely rebuilt or remodeled.

"The inequity of this project is overwhelming," he said.

According to Seattle school's capital project team, building a joint campus saves the district an estimated $45 million. If built separately, a new Denny would cost about $70 million and a new Chief Sealth High School more than $100 million.

Some have also said they had not been fully informed or involved in the district's plan for a joint campus that would only include renovations to Sealth. However, the language on the voter pamphlet issued by Seattle schools states its intentions; "Replacement of Denny, major renovation of Sealth, and construction of joint facilities, with safety upgrades throughout."

One community meeting was held in September 2006 to announce the project before it was approved by voters.

Maria Ramirez, who ran for West Seattle's open School Board seat in the fall, lives near the schools and said she too has had a hard time getting information about the project. She urged the board to move quickly on the issue.

"I don't want to spend a year in battle," Ramirez said. "We need to concentrate on the kids. I'd really like to see a quick resolution that the community could have a say in the process."

Sealth, built in 1957, will be seismically upgraded and get new mechanical and electrical systems. Students will have the latest classroom technology.

A new plaza will be built at the entry and 15 portables removed to build pedestrian pathways.

The schools will have separate entries and Denny students will remain primarily on the north side of the campus. The district has applied for a master use permit with the city and will conduct an environmental review, which can be appealed.

Renovations to Sealth are set to begin next year and students will move to a temporary home at the Louisa Boren interim site on Delridge Way. Construction of the new middle school is supposed to start in 2009 with students moving in by fall 2011.

The current 5-acre Denny site is scheduled to be demolished in 2011 and redeveloped into recreational facilities and open space for the schools and the community.

The Westwood Neighborhood Council is hoping to take an active role in redeveloping the current Denny area. The group held a meeting last week and about 35 people attended. District representatives presented preliminary design plans for the combined campus.

The council had applied for a Department of Neighborhoods $15,000 matching funds grant to help shape a vision for a collection of district and city-owned facilities that lack correlation with the community. But the district pulled its support of the grant because it relinquished too much control to the community.

A facilitator would have been hired to come up with a master plan to connect the two schools, the Southwest Athletic Complex and community center.

Steve Fischer, president of the neighborhood council, said the community will pursue plans to make the public facilities better serve the students and residents.

Several people at the meeting remembered a time when family barbeques, kite flying and community interaction were regular activities at the now fenced off athletic field next to the Southwest Community Center. Now it's "uninviting" and "unavailable," some said.

A few people suggested the Denny site become a park. Perhaps there should be a water feature, a skatepark, picnic tables or play equipment for children of various ages.

Several spoke out against combining the schools. The council has not yet taken a position on the project, but Fischer encouraged people to send their comments to School Board members and the city.

"How we react to it is our choice," he said. "You have the power in terms of helping determine what happens here."

For more information visit, www.westwood-neighborhood.org or http://www.seattleschools.org/area/bex/index.dxml.