Stranger Endorse the Levy
Because it's for the kids. Stranger Endorsements.
Tuesday Open Thread
The speaker list is up for the Board meeting tomorrow; not as packed as I thought with just four people on the waitlist. The majority of the speakers are speaking on high school boundaries (with several wanting to talk about Ballard High). There are only three of us speaking about the Green Dot resolution asking the City to not grant the zoning departures that Green Dot has requested. It's me, long-time watchdog, Chris Jackins, and the head of the Washington State Charter Schools Association, Patrick D'Amelio. (I knew Mr. D'Amelio when he headed the Alliance for Education and Big Brothers and Big Sisters; he's a stand-up guy.)
Comments
They pretend to want to be "grown-up" and "analyze" politics 'n' stuff, but are really incapable of insightful writing unless it's all about themselves.
-pat
There are a variety of reasons that people are opposing the levy.
Some folks just don't want to put any more money into the dysfuctional system which is Seattle Public Schools.
Some folks are opposing the levy as a vote against Education Reform.
Some folks, and I am in this group, regard the levy as a referendum on the District's leadership and this is my opportunity to hold that leadership accountable for their mismanagement and failure to supervise.
I'm sure there are other reasons to oppose the levy as well as combinations of reasons.
Here's our website:
http://enforcetopdownreform.blogspot.
com/
The district has always used that levy to fill in basic operating costs unfunded by the state. We passed that levy back in February.
This is an addditional levy. The legislature gave districts expanded ability to collect money from levies back in the last legislative session.
So this is new moneys for the district. The district says it is to backfill cuts made by the state.
A lot of it is actually going to a new teacher evaluation system. A system that will be a new and ongoing funding drain that will have to be funded out of the budget going forward whether more monies can be raised in the future or not.
So some folks think the end result of this levy will be that more money will be drained out of classrooms to fund a performance management system with unproven utility.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorials/2013164155_edit15levy.html
Shocking!
"VOTERS should reject Seattle Public Schools' $48 million levy. A message needs to be sent to the district, and this is the one unmistakable way to send it."
The Times sites the audit, calls it "pretty damning". They are clear that a no vote is NOT a vote against kids.
They were very careful not to hold the Superintendent accountable only those around her. No mention of the Board either. Puhleez both MGJ and the Board were as Melissa says "called out" in the audit. The buck stops with them.
I've actually thought we (being us concerned citizens) should encourage the Stranger to do a story on so-called ed reform in Seattle and how MGJ and company are attempting to do it. As far as I can tell, they're the only local news source who could do this.