Heads Up

This was in Publicola today (bold mine):

More names are circulating as contenders for two open seats in the state house: The 36th District position 2 seat, currently occupied by Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson, and the 46th District position 2 seat, held by Phyllis Gutierrez Kenney. Both Dickerson and Gutierrez Kenney announced earlier this year that they plan to retire at the end of their current terms.

In the 36th, which covers parts of Ballard, Queen Anne, Magnolia, Phinney Ridge, Fremont, and Belltown, several folks are rumored to be considering a run. They include John Burbank, head of the progressive Economic Opportunity Institute (and father of the infamous “latte tax”); Progressive Majority’s Washington State director, Noel Frame; Seattle School Board member Michael DeBell; Brett Phillips, son of King County Council member Larry Phillips and the director of sustainability at Unico Properties; and Jeff Manson, chair of the 36th District Democrats.

It is unclear to me when their terms expire (somebody?) but if DeBell runs, he would have to decide soon.  If he wants to stay on the Board, his next election is Nov. 2013.   

DeBell is the longest serving member on the current Board.

Also, I was perusing the Agenda for the Audit & Finance committee meeting tomorrow - it will be covering Finance - and saw this item:

Sustainability of Int’l Education Financing    10 min

It comes at the end of the meeting so it may get bumped but I saw that and went, "Hmmm".   I have heard rumors that the district is a little more interested in STEM and money only goes so far. STEM and foreign language immersion are both fairly expensive programs.   I suspect that once the second elementary is named as a feeder school for the program in the SW, we won't see any new foreign language immersion programs for awhile. 

In the Good News category:

Nine high school students from SPS (Sealth, Garfield and Ingraham) have been chosen in a first phase of the Washington Aerospace Scholars (WAS) program.  They will spend 5 months working on 10 online lessons and a final project and then compete for 160 slots in the summer residency session held at the Museum of Flight in June and July.  (A little interesting that there are no students from Cleveland, given it's a STEM school.)

From SPS:
The WAS program is a free, competitive Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education program for high school juniors across Washington state. It is affiliated with the NASA Johnson Space Center’s National High School Aerospace Scholars program. The goal of WAS is to excite and prepare students to pursue career pathways in STEM fields using a NASA-designed, distance-learning curriculum. 
Good job students and teachers.

Also, thank you AGAIN to Death Cab for Cutie which donated more than $4300 to SPS Nutrition Services this year from $1 donations on their ticket sales.  

From SPS:
This is the third time that Death Cab for Cutie, originally from Bellingham, has donated money to the SPS meal program. Wendy Weyer, SPS Nutrition Services director, noted that the band has generously contributed more than $13,500 over the last three years to the department, which serves 7,600 breakfasts and 19,500 lunches each school day Districtwide.

The contribution will be used in the District’s highest-need schools during the 2012 and 2013 school years to help students who have unpaid debts on their school meal accounts.

Comments

Ana said…
"Int’l Education Financing" may have to something to do with a federal grant that has paid for certain world language teachers and the immersion teachers going away.
Anonymous said…
DeBell for higher office? Not surprised and explains a lot of his careful positioning as well as his recent swing to all things Downtown.

SavvyVoter
Anonymous said…
DeBell will always be remembered in the same breath as Silas Potter and Maria Goodloe Johnson, no matter how much kissing up he has been doing all along. He is not a recent turncoat (his school board election was financed by Gates) but has simply become more overt recently in his allegiances.

DeBell's potential election is a non-starter. The public is too smart to give a promotion to a gossipy wimp.

--enough already
Disgusted said…
SavvyVoter, You make a lot of sense. I certainly wouldn't support DeBell. He appears to be more aligned with civic elite and political leaders than teachers/ community.

I'm seeing too much from him. I don't believe he would be honest and transparent.
Disgusted said…
Gossipy wimp indeed, - enough already. Even if it means using the press to further his agenda at the expense of respectable members of our community.
Anonymous said…
I am SURE it is the "draft DeBelle" contingent who formed tonight's "Moderate Voices of Parents" group. Holy cow, they are so moderate, they can't even think of a catchy name!

Mr Ed
Anonymous said…
I think it behooves all of take the time to find out what goes on in SPS to make sure that DeBell and Sundquist will fail in seeking elected office. It will be hard enough keeping track of this slippery bunch moving behind one front org after another, lying about their intentions. It's like Bush World. Up is down. Anyone who cloaks themselves under the mantle of "education" must be viewed with a critical eye from the get go.

Mr. White
Kathy said…
Is the GOP plotting another coup?
From Publicola:

http://publicola.com/2012/03/07/wednesday-jolt/

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