Seattle Schools to be Closed, Friday, January 20th

Seattle Public Schools will remain closed on Friday, Jan. 20 because of continued winter weather conditions. The John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence will also be closed.

“The snow is still falling and temperatures are low, making it difficult to safely transport students to and from school,” said Dr. Susan Enfield, Interim Superintendent. “We hope our students, families and staff members are staying safe and warm, and we look forward to re-opening our schools on Monday.”

Next Tuesday, Jan. 24 is a three-hour early dismissal from schools because of a scheduled furlough day. That day cannot be used as a snow make-up day. District administration will determine tomorrow if Friday, Jan. 27 – a scheduled day off for professional development – can be used as a snow make-up day.

Comments

seattle citizen said…
Someone on another thread (Tina?) was distressed because next week is the end of the semester, and middle and high school students will be taking exams. As this week is a bust, there will be no time for the usual preparation.

She (and I) vote for making the semester end one week later - after all, we will be tacking almost a week onto the NEXT semester with make-up days.
1/19/12, 5:06 PM
Anonymous said…
I remember during a storm a few years back, some schools out in the burbs didn't need to make up missed days after a state of emergency was called. (Or at least the school could apply for a waiver because of that.) Does anyone else remember this?

Snowed in
1/19/12, 5:34 PM
Anonymous said…
We've used mid-winter break for makes ups. I'd like that.

northender
1/19/12, 5:55 PM
Anonymous said…
I vote for mid winter break as well! It's a pointless break anyway!

westseattle
1/19/12, 6:15 PM
Lori said…
District administration will determine tomorrow if Friday, Jan. 27 – a scheduled day off for professional development – can be used as a snow make-up day.

What's to discuss? It says on the official calendar that Jan. 27 is slated as a snow make-up day. I've had that calendar pinned to my corkboard since it was approved by the Board in May 2011. It is still posted on the website. Can they just change the rules midcourse?
1/19/12, 6:43 PM
Lori said…
As to the furlough day, I don't see why they can't move it to a later date. Anyone know? Is there a reason from a payroll perspective that it has to happen next week?
1/19/12, 6:46 PM
Anonymous said…
Think back to the wind storms of a few years ago. The governor declared a state of emergency. No one had to make up this time at the end of the year.

Mom of a Seattle Senior
1/19/12, 7:39 PM
Anonymous said…
What Lori said.

Jenphil
1/19/12, 8:45 PM
Anonymous said…
Lori,

OMG, the furlough was a long-sought, hard fought win against the all-powerful union! To hell with using reserves to cover the legislature's craven cuts. Make the union bend down and crawl. And with Olga and Jon, Enfield's BFF's that's what happened.

So it's sacrosant. So what if it impact our students' learning. Of course we know that's not the primary objective of those in power.

Mr. Ed
1/19/12, 11:17 PM
Anonymous said…
Mr. Ed -

I don't know why it took me months to process this furlough, but, it did.

There isn't enough money for the community because the community has decided to let those who take as much money as they can take - takers who take because they're powerful, at the top, and in the position to take -

the community has decided that the economy wreckers won't be held accountable.

There are lots of reasons for this letting takers take garbage, and some of the key reasons the takers get away with it are that they have the money to hire the best liars, and, their opponents could NOT be more incompetent fighting for the bottom 80% of us.

Part of being stunningly incompetent is coming up with really dumb ideas - like punishing the community - because the leadership is too incompetent to do its job.

When I view it all that way, then all the dumb ideas

ReallyMake$en$e
1/20/12, 6:52 AM
Dorothy Neville said…
I disagree with Mr Ed's take on the furlough. It would not have been simple nor fiscally responsible to use reserves instead and the decision to furlough was not made lightly. Sure, there were better fiscally responsible decisions that could have been made in the past that would have made a furlough less likely, but those decisions weren't made.

I do believe that everyone currently in senior management and the board members of our district do care about student learning and are trying the best they can.
1/20/12, 9:42 AM
Anonymous said…
"...but those decisions weren't made."

ReallyMakeSense' point exactly. I remember DeBelle's statement in A&F when use of reserves came up. He said "we want to keep the pressure on the union." Mr. Businessman extraordinaire wants to squeeze that blood outa those turnips teaching our kids. And I mean turnips in a respectful way, of course.

Mr. Ed
1/20/12, 10:35 AM
Jamie said…
Seattle Citizen, amen. My 9th grader is freaking out about finals because she was supposed to get study guides from several classes this week, now of course she doesn't have anything.
1/20/12, 12:41 PM
Anonymous said…
Bethel School District found a way to take the cuts out of admin and spare the teachers. Where there's a will, there's a way. It was easier to make the teachers take the cut and the children take the time off. No teacher I know wants more time off.

northender (aka n...)
1/20/12, 7:16 PM
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