Seattle Schools Week of May 7-12, 2012

Wednesday, May 9th
Executive Committee meeting, 8am-10am.  Agenda.  Highlights:
  • Review of upcoming Board meetings
  • Legislative session update
  • Memorial Stadium (interesting because it is at this committee meeting and not Operations)
  • community engagement (no idea what this might mean)
  • redistricting Director district boundaries (I mentioned this previously; minor tweaks based on the legislative redistricting)
  • transition issues (for our new superintendent)
Director McLaren Community meeting - 12:30-2:30 p.m. at Southwest Library, 9010 35th Avenue SW

Work Session: BEX IV from 4-5:30 p.m.

Thursday, May 10th
Audit&Finance Committee meeting from 4-6 p.m.  Agenda. Highlights:
  • Lake City Lease termination
  • Affirmative Action plan
  • Policy 6882 - Leases and Sales of properties (I have never read this one so I don't know if it is new or a replacement.)
  • Budget development update
Friday, May 11th 
BEX Oversight Committee meeting, from 8:30-10:30 am, Room 2750, JSCEE

Saturday, May 12th
Director Carr Community meeting from 8:30am-10:00am at Bethany Community Church, 8023 Green Lake Dr - Christian Education Building (corner of N 81st and Stone Ave N).  The entrance can be accessed from N 81st Street, next to the playground.

Building Bridges for Summer Learning program from 9:30 am - 2:30 p.m. at Chief Sealth High School. 

Tips on preventing summer learning loss with workshops on technology, positive discipline, youth workshops, grade-level transitions, STEM, etc. 

Keynote Speaker:  Dr. Luis Ricardo Fraga
Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement
Russell F. Stark University Professor
Director, Diversity Research Institute
Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Washington

Children's activities and transportation will be provided. Light breakfast and lunch will be served. Interpreters will be provided.

Director Smith-Blum Community meeting from 10-11:30 am, location TBA.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Melissa, could you post more on the transportation and start times idea? I'm confused. It can't be that they want middles schools and highs to start so early, right? 7:10 am!!

Help
Dorothy Neville said…
Dear Help, the transportation plan has bus drop off times listed as early as 7:10AM, which would mean a start time of 7:25 to 7:30AM. There has to be time allotted for breakfast.

Additionally, they are asking for a 45 minute service window (but some seem to be quoting a 60 minute window?) therefore, the earliest a scheduled pick-up could be would be 6:25 AM.
mirmac1 said…
November 2011 - Issue Request for Proposals for new Bus contract.

December 9 2011 - Date on interim superintendent's SBAR submits changes to the Transportation Standards for 2012-2013, ironically to support Open Enrollment (for intro 1/4 and action 2/1/12.) Cites extensive study and benchmarking blah blah blah) One week later, minutes of Operations Committee meeting indicate Westgard reported not so great savings(removed 43, not 80 buses, then said there wouldn't be big changes to Transportation Standards for 2012-2013. No great outcry.

January 2012 - Addendum to Bus contract RFP reads:

"It is the District plan to have a minimum of 110 three-tier C type bus routes going into the 2012-2013 school. Please note that this is predicated on School Board approval of extended bus arrival and departure times." (Note - at this point in time, the Board is considering new standards w/ changes in earliest start time of 5 minutes from 2011-2012, so the "extended bus arrival and departure times" cannot be considered SO extensive)

February 1, 2012 - Board approves new Transportation Standards w/ 25-minute ride times and HS/MS first drop-off at 7:25am

Then WHAT HAPPENS HERE?! Is nobody watching the bank account?

February 8,, 2012 - Board Oversight Work Session - OMG! Tranportation budget bust.
Presentation
Minutes
"Board members expressed concern over the size of the budget and wanted to identify how to get expenditures down.”

- Board members and staff talked about the current VersaTrans transportation software and potential improvements. Bob Westgard stated the district is studying a more user-friendly web-based system so parents can see information, reducing calls to the call center. Board suggestions included looking at outsourcing route planning or looking deeper into the district organization for use of technology. – (cont.)
mirmac1 said…
February 15, 2012 - McEvoy introduces Transportation task force to Ops committee

March 28, 2012 - Date Westgard says they were tasked to take steps to reduce transportation costs sooner rather than later. I was at that work session. They weren’t present. Harman told board members they were already working on it.

April 12, 2012 Transportation task force reports to Finance committee re: change to 45-min standard. No mention of earliest start time. Why no community engagement at this late date? Also, by this time State budget is passed. Drastic change not needed to close gap. Some directors, as a matter of principle (“because we told you to!”), insist on cuts.

May 2, 2012 - Intro yet more changes to the Transportation Standards (twelve weeks after board direction, and thirteen weeks after approval of previous changes)
Lori said…
Dorothy, I think this is where the 60 minute information comes from:

http://www.seattleschools.org/modules/groups/homepagefiles/cms/1583136/File/Departmental%20Content/school%20board/11-12%20agendas/050212agenda/20120502_RevisedTransServStds.pdf

This is the redacted standards document for 2012/13. It says, "All Neighborhood Attendance Area Elementary and K-8 routes will be designed to operate with travel times of (proposed) 45 minutes or less when feasible. All other routes will be designed to operate with travel times of 60 minutes or less where feasible"

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