tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post1650020615541068540..comments2024-03-29T02:41:52.718-07:00Comments on Seattle Schools Community Forum: Work Session on Capacity Management Transition PlanMelissa Westbrookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comBlogger87125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-67731415014376541892011-12-14T23:05:53.196-08:002011-12-14T23:05:53.196-08:00Tracy Libros is either a liar or incompetent and s...Tracy Libros is either a liar or incompetent and should be fired. <br /><br />Sign me: trusted her before in West SeattleAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-5948845725393125532011-12-14T23:05:50.991-08:002011-12-14T23:05:50.991-08:00Tracy Libros is either a liar or incompetent and s...Tracy Libros is either a liar or incompetent and should be fired. <br /><br />Sign me: trusted her before in West SeattleAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-88001105197670055282011-12-14T15:41:32.723-08:002011-12-14T15:41:32.723-08:00I recently enrolled my daughter for HS for next ye...I recently enrolled my daughter for HS for next year and they asked for 2 pieces of mail to confirm address. It had to be a bill or something like that so if someone were to fake their address they would have to have their bills sent to the fake address.<br /><br />Also, we went to the Nathan Hale Open House for private school kids and they said that the number of kids trying to get into Nathan Hale from outside of their neighborhood is increasing. They didn't see a problem for next year but anticipate that if it continues that there will not be any choice seats left at Hale.<br /><br />SusanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-86715278600209655572011-12-14T15:12:49.052-08:002011-12-14T15:12:49.052-08:00Wondering --
Gah! Actually, I agree with what s...Wondering -- <br /><br />Gah! Actually, I agree with what seems to be your sentiment on cheating (people shouldn't). But which of our dwindling dollars do we want to divert to pay for "enforcers" (people who drive around, following people home, camping in front of houses to see if the kids really live there, etc -- which was what they did to the Wrotens when Tony was - um - locationally challenged in terms of whether he lived in Renton or the CD)? The general fund dollars that pay for teachers, books, counsellors? The few maintenance dollars we throw at our half billion dollar backlog? <br /><br />I vote we spend NO money on this (unless it gets totally ridiculous) and spend the time/money on making under-enrolled schools reasonable choices(the thing we were supposed to have done BEFORE NSAP went into effect), making LI and Montessori schools option schools, etc. That is actually money that will both benefit kids AND cure the lying problem.Janhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09923777229601243321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-36601786610853810702011-12-14T14:31:02.922-08:002011-12-14T14:31:02.922-08:00Link to presentation for tonights Capacity Managem...Link to <a href="http://www.seattleschools.org/modules/groups/homepagefiles/cms/1583136/File/Departmental%20Content/school%20board/11-12%20agendas/121411agenda/20111214_WkSess_OpsCommWhole_Presentation.pdf" rel="nofollow">presentation</a> for tonights Capacity Management Work Session.<br /><br />The presentation includes staff recommendations per school (boundary change, portable addition, etc.)StepJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11375599834945035820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-91527204280502337002011-12-14T12:22:00.698-08:002011-12-14T12:22:00.698-08:00I have a question that is somewhat related to this...I have a question that is somewhat related to this topic. Under the old assignment system, there wasn't much incentive to use a false address because you had no guarantee of getting into a school even if you "lived" close. But under the NSAP there is a big incentive to lie about your address. I know at least two families that have done this, so I suspect the problem could be a pretty big one. Is the District doing anything to look for address fraud now that there is an incentive to lie?<br /><br />WonderingAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-29783459840559316582011-12-14T08:55:35.169-08:002011-12-14T08:55:35.169-08:00SeattleMom
Thanks for finding that information. I...SeattleMom<br /><br />Thanks for finding that information. I have been wondering how typical it is for school districts to split siblings when they adjust boundaries. <br /><br />We have a child entering K next year who will be split from our 1st grader at JSIS. We were in the boundaries 2 years ago when our oldest went to K at JSIS, with every expectation that our youngest could follow. We didn't move to Wallingford to attend the school, we've lived here 10 years and just wanted a neighborhood school for our kids to attend together. This change is very disruptive and upsetting for our family.WallingfordMomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02402684896296359495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-59699622718087151852011-12-14T08:30:57.921-08:002011-12-14T08:30:57.921-08:00FYI: Seattle Mom @12/13 10:33 PM is not the same S...FYI: Seattle Mom @12/13 10:33 PM is not the same Seattle mom signing off when posting under anonymous. I don't want to confuse readers since I don't know anything about Portland SD and siblings plan. <br /><br />Seattle momAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-18911568605947936532011-12-13T22:33:26.839-08:002011-12-13T22:33:26.839-08:00Here is what Portland Public Schools has to say ab...Here is what Portland Public Schools has to say about siblings and boundary changes: "Under PPS policy, if there are changes to boundaries, students can stay at their current schools, and their younger siblings can attend those schools with their older sibling, even if they live in a boundary change area." (see e.g. under www.pps.k12.or.us/news/5155.htm)<br /><br />Why can't the Seattle School Board, Tracy Libros, and others admit that a new assignment plan needs some time to shake down (6-7 years as Kellie says) and plan accordingly, e.g. by not splitting up families each time a school boundary needs to change? Why can't SPS put families first just like other school districts do? They could earn themselves a lot of credit if they did.Sabine Meckinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17894106929137582679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-55288355580145637012011-12-13T22:30:48.502-08:002011-12-13T22:30:48.502-08:00@ Jan,
Turmoil is not a word I would choose to d...@ Jan, <br /><br />Turmoil is not a word I would choose to describe this dynamic. <br /><br />I work with systems. I find the half life rule to just be true. Organizations are designed to be sturdy and to not change too quickly. <br /><br />The NSAP was a fundamental change in how everything operates. Everything. As such, it will require 6-7 years of one year adjustments until it begins to operate like a stable system. <br /><br />It takes that long, because it takes that long. The answer is both that complex and that simple. It simply takes time to turn a battleship. <br /><br />Same thing is true with leadership. Board members are not terribly effective until their second term. IMO, a primary reason for much of the district instability is that we haven't been able to keep a superintendent for more than six years.kelliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01322661098626555834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-13567945026169011642011-12-13T19:19:45.563-08:002011-12-13T19:19:45.563-08:00kellie: here is what I don't get (and maybe i...kellie: here is what I don't get (and maybe it doesn't matter, as it is now in the past, but somehow, it matters to me):<br /><br />Who (if anyone) knew (or should have known, because someone legitimate told them or that was their area of specialty) that we were in for 6 or 7 years of turmoil? Because as people raised alarms -- all I remember hearing is -- the boundaries are set for at least 5 years, there will not need to be any changes, etc. etc. etc. Has the Board known this all along? Have the staff? Did MGJ? Did Tracy? Because if they DID -- don't we have some serious dishonesty issues?<br /><br />And if they didn't -- don't we have some serious management/competency issues? Or is this all really the "best case scenario" we could have hoped for -- that people would tell parents one thing -- and then another, totally different thing would overthrow much of the plans? <br /><br />I am sitting here today remembering that one of the big things that earned MGJ her bonuses and contract extensions -- and for which she was so praised -- was the NSAP. She gets no credit for the idea/big picture plan -- because it preceded her. But supposedly, she at least got credit for the great implementation. But given that they ignored so many issues that have immediately burst into flames (Garfield, Lowell, capacity everywhere except SE Seattle), geozones, sibling splitting, this sure seems to be a snakebit project to me.Janhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09923777229601243321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-68060014486346466922011-12-13T17:39:47.177-08:002011-12-13T17:39:47.177-08:00If you are interested in some straight up organiza...If you are interested in some straight up organization dynamics theory, here are some general principals that might be helpful for folks grappling with the whole temporary and permanent aspects of the NSAP. <br /><br />In general it takes about one half of a life cycles for changes to get into the mainstream of a system. SPS is a 13 year operation (K-12). As such it is 6-7 years before things are well set. <br /><br />IMO, we have a minimum of six years of significant adjustments to the plan. Moreover, most of those adjustments are going to be things that were significantly discussed during the planning stages. There will be a few surprises but really not that many. <br /><br />What are the issues that we are dealing with post NSAP in these annual transition plans? - Garfleld boundaries, access and overcrowding at language immersion and montessori, split siblings, 10% set aside for high school, north end middle school capacity, high school for QA/Mag and can Ballard actually go to Ballard if QA/Mag go there, etc. <br /><br />You can easily make a chart of every concern that was voiced about the NSAP and being to slot each of those concerns into a year from year 1 -7 and begin to work out exactly when each of those issues will hit the boiling point and then need to be addressed in the following year's transition plan. (or emergency plan:)<br /><br />Every one of those issues was talked about significantly during the transition. <br /><br />The good news is that there are new folks downtown and I sincerely believe they want to begin to get ahead of this. However, they are out of time and money. So each year the problems become more painful to solve. <br /><br />JSIS is going to need to become an option school sooner or later. It is just too popular to survive any other way.kelliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01322661098626555834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-71551477242787451012011-12-13T16:54:14.766-08:002011-12-13T16:54:14.766-08:00Well, a transition plan would imply changes as we ...Well, a transition plan would imply changes as we transition from the old plan to the new one. Anyone who thought it was a done deal from day one of the first year of implementation must have been dreaming.<br /><br />I would expect, after 5 years, no more tweaking without substantial reason to do so. I would expect they would have walked through every possible scenario. <br /><br />But the foreign language immersion schools should be option schools. End of story. This is just ridiculous and you have to wonder why they don't bite the bullet, do the work and get it done during the transition period.<br /><br />The other option is to get more foreign language into elementaries (not a full-flown immersion program but regular classes). I think that would make many parents happier and you could keep the foreign language immersion schools as is. <br /><br />But no, we'll just have to live with skirting around and around this issue until someone downtown does something.Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12588239576000641336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-20087260009296268922011-12-13T16:30:58.109-08:002011-12-13T16:30:58.109-08:00BigB, the problem is that you have a lot of famili...BigB, the problem is that you have a lot of families in Seattle who want access to language immersion and not nearly enough spaces for families who want them. So parents are going to move to access a desirable program. Absolutely. The solution is to advocate for more language immersion programs (and new ones, preferably, would be option programs) throughout the city so that families who want them can access them.djhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01720927162286657378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-91030917845604121012011-12-13T15:37:57.820-08:002011-12-13T15:37:57.820-08:00(1) this is a transition plan and there is no more...<i>(1) this is a transition plan and there is no more surge capacity and</i><br /><br />Melissa, can you explain to me how the "transition plan" is different from the permanent plan? Are they open to tweak the boundaries within the 5 year transition period and then, no more tweaking? In reality, they will be changing boundaries until the end of time. <br><br />The district really messed up on this one and they should be making drastic changes, such as making JSIS an option school as others have suggested. Last November, in one of those informal transition plan meetings, I sat across the table from Tracy Libros, with a map between us, discussing the impact of the new boundaries and how it will affect families with younger siblings. I asked her point blank, what are you going to do about these families over here (pointing to the region west of Wallingford Ave) with younger siblings when you are forced to shrink the boundaries? She said, "I don't see that happening". End of conversation. Yet, here we are just one year later. <br><br />As it turns out, after 6 years at JSIS and 2 years of sweating it out with the NSAP, we were one of the lucky ones that got our younger sibling into JSIS this year. From the results of a JSIS family survey, it looks like there will be at least 20 out-of-area siblings for next year (compared with 10 this year) if the proposed boundaries go through. How many more families will have to go through this as the boundaries shrink & shrink?BigBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05278097229917636569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-85616381570334537552011-12-13T14:21:08.054-08:002011-12-13T14:21:08.054-08:00Madrona K-8 is really needed as K-8 capacity. That...Madrona K-8 is really needed as K-8 capacity. That part of the city needs more, not less.<br /><br />Rainier Beach is not a good location for an all-city draw school like The NOVA Project. It needs a central location. Given the use of Running Start classes, it should be one close to a community college.<br /><br />Lowell would be a better choice.<br /><br />NOVA students can no longer access the resources at Garfield. Garfield is too crowded for Garfield students to access the resources.<br /><br />Both Lowell and T T Minor are about the same distance from SCCC. Lowell has better transit and is an easier bike ride in both directions.<br /><br />Again, do we need elementary capacity at Lowell or do we need it at T T Minor? Look at the attendance area map. The Lowell and Stevens areas are both long north/south columns with the schools in the north end. The same space could be divided into two square areas, one in the north for Stevens and one in the south for T T Minor.Charlie Mashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17173903762962067277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-65158973661456080342011-12-13T13:55:49.680-08:002011-12-13T13:55:49.680-08:00Sherry Carr has hinted several times that JSIS wou...<i>Sherry Carr has hinted several times that JSIS would need consecutive boundary changes until it eventually becomes an option school. </i><br /><br />Gah! I always imaginied, given the district's history, that the school would go through several years of successive boundary changes before the district would admit they can't make it work (Smaller, smaller, smaller, microscopic, pop! Option school!), I am, however, appalled to hear that Sherry has that as an <i>expectation</i>.<br /><br />Is there any possible reasonable purpose to not just doing the right thing now, rather than allow chaos to reign for several more years?<br /><br />Crazy.Birdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16540428343439198125noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-12393148690784502162011-12-13T13:26:04.110-08:002011-12-13T13:26:04.110-08:00TechyMom, taking Madrona offline completely as an ...TechyMom, taking Madrona offline completely as an elementary would, I think, require opening TT Minor for sure -- you can't send the elementary kids to the full schools to the north and west, and even Leschi and Thurgood Marshall to the south are at or pretty much at capacity. Plus the 6-8 numbers at Madrona are small, but Washington is full. <br /><br />Louise, why would it make sense to move the Ranier Beach high school students north of Franklin and Garfield? Plus I think pretty much the last thing that would cause Madrona families to enroll their kids at Madrona would be moving RBHS into the building.djhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01720927162286657378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-48733590155527076612011-12-13T13:24:00.932-08:002011-12-13T13:24:00.932-08:00They are using the word "temporary" to d...They are using the word "temporary" to describe the boundary change to JSIS. Once FACMAC comes out with it's 2-5 year proposals, I suppose they will remove the word temporary from their proposals. <br /><br />They need to allow the siblings moved out this year to attend McDonald, so families can continue with the immersion model, and they can figure out the longer range plan. Sherry Carr has hinted several times that JSIS would need consecutive boundary changes until it eventually becomes an option school. <br /><br />JSIS ParentAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-8387068812912269512011-12-13T13:09:16.252-08:002011-12-13T13:09:16.252-08:00Or, move NOVA into Rainier Beach and revive the K-...Or, move NOVA into Rainier Beach and revive the K-12 school concept by moving Beach into Madrona.Louisenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-15196944829373061922011-12-13T12:53:41.613-08:002011-12-13T12:53:41.613-08:00What about converting perpetually underenrolled Ma...What about converting perpetually underenrolled Madrona K8 to a HS space for Nova?TechyMomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04650916001250022778noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-78879928777409176722011-12-13T10:11:00.509-08:002011-12-13T10:11:00.509-08:00Charlie, my oldest attended both T.T. Minor and Lo...Charlie, my oldest attended both T.T. Minor and Lowell, and I do think it would be a lot easier to convert Lowell to a HS space than it would be to convert T.T. Minor.<br /><br />I am not sure we really need elementary space at T.T. Minor if both Lowell and Stevens are being used as elementary schools. It is pretty hard to justify bringing T.T. Minor back online when Madrona is sitting woefully under capacity a fifteen-minute walk away. Fix Madrona, and you have a lot more ability to move other pieces around in Central.djhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01720927162286657378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-73335935499611509022011-12-13T09:28:36.082-08:002011-12-13T09:28:36.082-08:00Charlie,
My point about each of the classrooms be...Charlie,<br /><br />My point about each of the classrooms being separate programs is that they are unlikely to be moved intact.<br /><br />With TOPS, Montlake and Stevens pretty full now, Lowell elementary capacity is going to be needed.<br /><br />TT Minor actually seems better for Nova for proximity to services at Garfield which they used to have more easily at Mann, and it's a bit closer to Seattle Central where many do Running Start. A walk down hill instead of a bus ride.<br /><br />open earsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-60477869346562611482011-12-13T09:02:11.012-08:002011-12-13T09:02:11.012-08:00Hey, open ears, open your ears. I didn't sugge...Hey, open ears, open your ears. I didn't suggest scattering the program over hither and yon. I suggested moving it <i>intact</i> from Lowell to T T Minor.<br /><br />Think of the choice this way: do we have the high school kids in Lowell and the elementary kids in T T Minor or do we have the elementary kids in Lowell and the high school kids in T T Minor? Where do we need the elementary capacity - up at Roy, or ten blocks south of there at Union?Charlie Mashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17173903762962067277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-3384379962522764442011-12-13T08:36:11.253-08:002011-12-13T08:36:11.253-08:00Charlie,
Leave the Lowell Low Incidence program a...Charlie,<br /><br />Leave the Lowell Low Incidence program alone! They've been under threat of one kind or another for years. Some see it as "warehousing", but it's the only place I've seen with enough of a special ed cohort to create a collegial community between teachers, therapists, typical kids and kids with special needs. Remember the problem with APP being a program and not a school? Same thing with these kids, except worse. Each individual classroom is considered a program. If they were to lose Lowell, they'd be flung to the four winds and stuck in isolation at random portables at random schools with all those therapists on crazy itinerant schedules. Besides, random schools don't each have a full-time nurse, which several Lowell kids require.<br /><br />open earsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com