Seattle Schools Meetings, September 6-10th, 2011

 Tuesday, Sept. 6th
  • West Seattle Elementary starts school
  • Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for Denny Int'l Middle School from 1- 2 p.m.
  • Audit & Finance Committee Mtg. (Audit) from 4-6 p.m.  This meeting's agenda reflects topics on the audit response to both the performance audit of capital and the RSBDP (better known as Pottergate).  Perhaps this means the King County Prosecutor has something to report from their investigation.  There's a report from the new Internal Auditor, Anthony Medina.  Not wasting any time, there will be discussion of the Series 5000 policies of the Board policies which look like they cover HR.  Also, a discussion of audits other than those done by the SAO or Internal Auditor - interesting.
Wednesday, Sept. 7th
  • First Day of school for SPS  (fyi, the Superintendent will be visiting the new Lowell at Lincoln school from about 9-10 amShe will also be having lunch at RBHS at noon.)
  • School Board meeting from 6-9 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 8th
  • Audit & Finance Committee Mtg. (Finance) from 4-6 p.m. 
  • Candidate forum at 7:30 p.m. at the Haller Lake Community Club, 12579 Densmore Ave. N.
Saturday, Sept. 10th
  • Community Meeting with Director Carr from 8:30- 10:00 am at Bethany Community Church (brick building), 8023 Green Lake Dr.
  • Community Meeting with Director Sundquist from 11:00 am-12:30 pm at High Point Library, 3411 SW Raymond St.
More candidate forums to put on your calendar:
  • Monday, September 12th -  School Board Candidate Forum put on by the 37th Dems at 7 p.m. at the Rainier Beach Cultural Center, 3515 Alaska St. (The forum is prior to their general endorsement meeting.)  Note: this moved from September 10th.
  • Wednesday, September 28th - The Stranger's School Board candidate debate at Town Hall at 7:30 p.m at Town Hall.  This is the one of the few forum/debates for just School Board candidates so you would get the most information here.
  • Tuesday, October 11th - North Seattle School Board Candidate Forum, Olympic View Elementary, 504 NE 95th St. from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.  Free childcare available.
  • Tuesday, October 18th - School Board Candidates forum from 6:30-9 p.m. at Madison Middle Schoool at 3429 45th Ave. SW.  This is hosted by several West Seattle PTAs including Alki, Madison Middle, West Seattle High, Lafayette Elementary, Schmitz Park and Gatewood.  From 6:30-7:00 p.m., there will be a meet-and-greet with the forum to follow. 
 Please let us know if you hear of any other opportunities to hear the candidates speak.

Comments

Spectrum Blues said…
Off thread but I am looking at new elementary websites and... Whittier is back to taking ownership of self-contained Spectrum, they call it "district approved self-contained". Wedgwood touts "blending" Sped, gen-ed and Spectrum and Lawton hasn't updated to reflect the switch to cluster-grouping. Interesting on the Lawton site are BLT minutes from March 2011 regarding the staff vote on switching to cluster-grouping. 27 total votes with 9 for the status quo(self-contained). Well, Lawton had only 17 classroom teachers, 4 or 5 specialists, so who else is voting? The music teacher and gym teacher? Office staff? The principal herself?
Anyways, Enfield seems to be letting schools make their own Spectrum delivery choice, at least school principal. Parents don't seem to have much say; I think Chris Cronas at Wedgwood also rammed his personal prejudice against gifted ed down the throats of his school's Spectrum parents just like at Lawton. At least Whittier is staying the course and they go on to explain how they deal with labeling and perception issues at their school on their website. They do have the problem of Spectrum qualified kids possibly languishing in gen-ed and need to find a way to fix that if it in fact happens. I have heard that they get all qualified kids in Spectrum classrooms every year. Maybe someone there can elucidate me. Too bad for the kids and parents at Wedgwood and Lawton who liked self-contained. Enfield apparently wouldn't listen to her own AL dept and went with her shiny new principals, Cronas and Helm, instead. I wonder what she expects in return?
Pearl said…
Melissa - the new internal audit director's name is Andrew, not Anthony.

Also, if the prosecutor had anything to say about the Pottergate issue they would do a press release on it instead of letting word of any action leak at a committee meeting. Don't count on anything at this meeting about the prosecutor.
Thanks for that correction. I didn't think the prosecutor would be leaking anything but just that staff might be letting the Board committee members know when such news might be arriving.
I'm glad to hear Whittier is staying the course. When we were there (years back), nearly every class was filled with Spectrum Id'ed students.

I love the way it's said we need to give principals more autonomy and yet one place they do get it is in how they present a district program. It makes no sense. I'll have to ask Dr. Enfield about this issue.
Swooning said…
Melissa,
I had the opportunity to speak with Dr. E this summer and her response to the autonomy issue was on the line of "damned if I do, damned if I don't". In other words she weaseled. She said, yes, there is a place for self-contained, but she would go back and forth with Bob V. about where that line was. I also asked her about lack of Spectrum seats in middle school and she said it was a capacity problem. She charmed the shirt off my back and I felt like I'd had a massage after I left, even though I got no real answers. She is a very personable woman and kinda reminds me of a very smart Sarah Palin. Dangerously smart.
Anonymous said…
This particular politican (Susan Enfield)misjudged the Martin Floe situation horribly. She then went on to be unrestrainedly candid with Janis from TfA in those emails.

Smarts and good judgment don't always go hand-in-hand, particularly when one is being guided by personal ambition, rather the the well-being of those being served.

--way more transparent than she intended
David said…
On Susan Enfield, I'm a little depressed about her. I was thinking she was sharp and a good candidate for permanent superintendent before. But lately she seems to be showing a lot of too-clever-by-half and trying to manipulate rather than doing the right thing. Sad and unfortunate, but I'm now hoping we can do better if look for another candidate.

I really wish Susan Enfield would work harder to cut admin and direct what little budget we have toward students and teachers. Maybe I'm oversimplifying, maybe I don't understand the complexities, but it doesn't seem that hard to do the right thing.
Anonymous said…
But they slaved all summer over those org charts! And had to make the tough choices to give people raises while the economy stagnates!

Mr. Ed
dan dempsey said…
Looking Ahead

Sen. Scott White will have an Education Centered Town Hall meeting
==================

Senator Scott White’s
3rd Annual Education Town Hall

With special guest panelists:

Randy Dorn, WA Supt. of Public Instruction
Susan Enfield, Interim Supt., Seattle Public Schools
Lauren McGuire, President, Seattle PTSA

Please join parents, teachers, and neighbors for a Town Hall discussion on the challenges and opportunities facing public education in Seattle, and across Washington.

Tuesday, September 13
6:00-8:00 pm

Nathan Hale High School
Performing Arts Center
10750 30 Ave NE
Seattle, WA 98125
======
Here is a LINK .

--
http://www.sdc.wa.gov/senators/white/education townhall.pdf"
Nick Esparza said…
In response to canidate forums in 2011 school board elections. It is important for the challengers to restructure what the incumbants are about. To find a different nerrative. Instead of closing the acheivement gap have the challengers talk about no summer school and the high drop out rate. Why did the incumbants not vote for summer school? Make youtube ads and show sundquists face with money going out the door to noplace important. Him voting on useless things. Bring in more voters, teach people what the issues are. Highlight what the incumbants have done wrong. If you want change you have to educate the public on the real issues. We do not need 4 more years of shoddy schools and mismanaged money and resources. Use your time wisely and be agressive. Step away from your computers and help to raise money so we can beat the incumbants over the head and win. Don't just say save the seattle schools and do nothing. I wish the teacher union would spend more time having a pushback against the ed reform movement. They need to negotiate class sizes, no TFA and frontline staff and counselors. They would have more support if they dealt with the issues that matter to the public. It is time for the union leadership to let new blood and ideas in. I have gotten numerous upon nermerous emails from union workers complaining about not getting support or help. I am also dissapointed that nobody went on strike about summer school. This would have helped you against the ed reform. Helped you look like someone whom cares. Lastly is this about the kids or your pay and your popularity. I look forward to your responses. I am not trying to get you mad just helping you realise the reality here. Thanks nickesparza@live.com
I wondered yet if anyone has brought up the fact that lights are left on in many Seattle schools 24/7. Its this issue of we can cut services/teachers/aids, but we still cant really cut our energy use. This is a no brainer, motion sensors in class rooms, gyms, halls, locker rooms, offices. If you want to see that lights are on 24/7 go to the video at http://sustainableschoolscoalition.wordpress.com/
Come on, motion sensors, in class rooms, gyms, locker rooms, hallways, etc, THIS IS A NO BRAINER.

Alan Lloyd
Sustainable Schools coalition

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