Seattle Schools Community Forum

Update 2:   Over at The Seattle Times' article there has been this back and forth about whether the Board should have allowed public testimony.  The pertinent citations seem to be   RCW 42.30.240 Public Comment and  RCW 42.30.110(1)(g) Executive Sessions. OSPI Retired Professional, a long-time commenter on public education, added this court case: West v. Walla Walla (2025) is now a leading Washington case underscoring that: Governing bodies may discuss candidate qualifications in executive session, But they may not narrow, rank, or vote in private, And special meetings must stick strictly to their noticed agenda. Members who knowingly participate in unlawful meetings may face personal penalties (RCW 42.30.120). This meeting was likely so short because for the two days previous - the Executive Sessions where they went through the eight candidate portfolios - they had narrowed the list. Did they rank them in some subtle way? Probably.  Bec...

For some reason, I am not able to get this image of the details of this event to post. Here are the details: Join us for a  Candidate Forum  Monday, October 20th from 7-8:30 pm. at Eckstein Middle School, 3003 NE 75th Street Hosted by: Bryant Elementary, View Ridge Elementary, Wedgwood Elementary, Eckstein Middle School and Roosevelt High School Join us as we meet candidates running for school board positions 2,4,5, and 7. Candidates will present a one-minute statement following by a Q&A session, with a brief mix and mingle with the candidates.  To RSVP, request accommodations and submit questions to the candidates, here's the link. Editor's note - I'm sure it is the PTSAs of these schools hosting this and not the schools themselves.

First (and again), I have several comments just sitting in my box because they were sent anonymously. Pick any name or moniker for yourself if you want your thoughts to appear. No anonymous comments.                                      Happy Indigenous Peoples Day!     Next, the Board had a Special Meeting scheduled for today and it appeared that it was for the Board to announce that they had narrowed down the list of semi-finalists for  the next superintendent.  That meeting has been cancelled. They spent last Thursday and Friday discussing the eight semi-finalists in Executive Session.  But now, there is a OPEN Special Meeting on Wednesday, October 15th from 4:30-6:30 pm at the JSCEE. It will be televised on the Seattle Schools You-Tube channel. Agenda here.   The agenda does note that the Board "may recess into executive session."  I hope that the ...

This update to the Board came at the end of the meeting. There was a report attached to this agenda item. Rocky Torres Morales came forward. He noted that in 2020 the district did not have universal screening and now they do. He also said that 12% of SPS students have an HC designation. He introduced Paula Montgomery who now heads the Highly Capable office.  Montgomery started off with a cryptic statement - she thanked a non-identified Board member for a question and said, "It was one I had myself. " She then went on with her presentation. Why would she not tell everyone that question? I have no idea. She said they had public engagement going on right now with a series of parent meetings. She said they would use feedback to come back in February - before enrollment - with a "tighter plan" with what services will look like in the fall of 2026-2027.  She said that the department used to spend most of time and resources on testing but now want to help teachers more. S...

 From KOMO news, a fairly strange story that occurred on Wednesday, October 8th: Seattle police said a man was arrested after he forced his way into a high school, attacked a security guard, and pointed a gun at a teenager. The 60-year-old man was walking his two dogs when he approached the school and “forcefully pushed past” the security guard to talk to the principal, who told him to leave. A short time later, the man left the school in the 1700 block of East Union Street and walked to East Pike Street near 16th Ave, where he approached two teens sitting in a car. With a knife in one hand and a gun in the other, the man began screaming at the teenagers, telling them they can’t park on the street, according to Seattle police. While holding the knife, the man reached into the car and grabbed a 15-year-old boy by the neck. He also pointed a gun at the boy. The teen managed to escape from the man’s grip and told him he was calling 911. The man then walked away with his dogs. Police a...

 Update: Forgot to mention - head of Legal, Greg Narver, is leaving the district.   end of update    Topline is my headline; the Board voted against trying the pilot SEO (School Engagement Officer) program at Garfield High School. It was quite the discussion but let's review what came before it (but I came in about 20 minutes late). Also, former Board president Don Nielsen applied for the superintendent position and Director Liza Rankin announced that she is NOT going to run again. Once again, Clark and Hersey were there virtually, with all the other directors on the dais, including the three student directors. Superintendent Fred Podesta was also there.  When President Gina Topp had asked for director comments, Director Sarah Clark read a lengthy resolution which I think was in support of LGBTQ students and families. This post will be about the discussion around the SEO pilot at Garfield; I will post separately on the HC Plan discussion. Public Testimony T...