Tuesday Open Thread
A couple of things to note about tonight's BEX IV meeting at Eckstein at 6:30 p.m.
One, the meeting is an hour-and-a-half. That's not much time at all.
Two, they generally take at least five minutes to introduce all the staff and Board members. Then, they feel the need to explain BEX when really, they could just refer people to the website for that basic information. People attending want to talk turkey and I urge the staff to keep their remarks to a minimum.
Three, folks, if you get up to speak, please have your comments/questions thought out. I believe there will be many who want to speak and, in particular, ask questions.
Also, the Times had a story about the City putting forth a library levy in August to fund cut-backs to this system. At the end of the article, they noted all the pending levies, both city and county. I have to say there may be definite voter fatigue by the time they get to BEX IV and the Operations levies in Feb. 2013. And, these two will be the biggest amount asked for by any entity. Very worrisome.
Potential future ballot measures
The city of Seattle, King County and Seattle Public Schools all have additional property-tax measures that could be sent to the voters over the next five years.
Year Jurisdiction Measure
2012 City Library levy $123M
City Seawall waterfront $250M (estimate)
City Fire Facilities (expires)
County Juvenile Justice Center $200M
County Automated Fingerprint Information Systems (renewal)
2013 County Medic 1 emergency medical services (renewal)
County Parks open space (renewal)
Seattle School district Operations/BEX IV, up to $1.3B
2014 City Parks open space (renewal)
City Pike Place Market (expires)
2015 City Bridging the Gap transportation levy (renewal)
2016 City low-income housing (renewal)
School District operations/BTA levies
One, the meeting is an hour-and-a-half. That's not much time at all.
Two, they generally take at least five minutes to introduce all the staff and Board members. Then, they feel the need to explain BEX when really, they could just refer people to the website for that basic information. People attending want to talk turkey and I urge the staff to keep their remarks to a minimum.
Three, folks, if you get up to speak, please have your comments/questions thought out. I believe there will be many who want to speak and, in particular, ask questions.
Also, the Times had a story about the City putting forth a library levy in August to fund cut-backs to this system. At the end of the article, they noted all the pending levies, both city and county. I have to say there may be definite voter fatigue by the time they get to BEX IV and the Operations levies in Feb. 2013. And, these two will be the biggest amount asked for by any entity. Very worrisome.
Potential future ballot measures
The city of Seattle, King County and Seattle Public Schools all have additional property-tax measures that could be sent to the voters over the next five years.
Year Jurisdiction Measure
2012 City Library levy $123M
City Seawall waterfront $250M (estimate)
City Fire Facilities (expires)
County Juvenile Justice Center $200M
County Automated Fingerprint Information Systems (renewal)
2013 County Medic 1 emergency medical services (renewal)
County Parks open space (renewal)
Seattle School district Operations/BEX IV, up to $1.3B
2014 City Parks open space (renewal)
City Pike Place Market (expires)
2015 City Bridging the Gap transportation levy (renewal)
2016 City low-income housing (renewal)
School District operations/BTA levies
Comments
"George Scarola, the longtime lobbyist for the League of Education Voters, the moderate education reform group that often finds itself trying to strike a balance between the adamant Stand for Children and the equally adamant teachers’ union, announced last week that he’s leaving LEV."
This is the second person in LEV leadership to leave (Lisa Macfarlane is the first). Well, they always have Chris Korsmo.
I might debate the term "moderate" to describe LEV but versus Stand, then yes, they are moderate.
So thanks!
Adelanto, California: Parents defeat effort to privatize local school
-rader
I want to thank Melissa Westbrook for her diligence covering things like BEX. If it wasn't for this blog, we wouldn't have discovered ...
Amen to MW's diligence in covering so much so often and so consistently. ... Thank You Melissa.
It's at 4:00, but I'm not sure which room.
Another reason to love Betty Patu.
I'd hate for the school's levies to fail because of levy fatigue.
This is where they come from: ALEC - who are they in your state - listings by state
It got me thinking about what Seattle's policy is for notifying parents when children do not show up to school in the morning, especially for middle and high schoolers. Is this a school-by-school policy, or is there a district-wide policy that is actually followed?
Sierra LaMar's disappearance raises questions about how schools notify parents when students don't show up for class
-- Frustrated
Ask your principal what your school does. I got a robo-call but maybe you can ask for an e-mail to be sent if you are not available by phone.
Frustrated, I'd ask the teacher but yes, for "lagging" I suspect they just let you know in the report card. I would think something serious would have to be going on before anyone would actually call you.
in Sumner School District
reported in the Tacoma News Tribune HERE.
"Sumner is one of four Washington state school districts identified in a recent national investigation by the Atlanta Journal Constitution for showing improvements in student test scores that appear to defy the numerical odds.
The investigation, also the subject of a story in Sunday’s Seattle Times, says the Sumner, Tahoma, Mukilteo and Kennewick school districts showed suspicious swings in year-to-year standardized test results.
Sumner officials strongly defended the security of their testing regimen on Monday. In a statement to The News Tribune, they said staff has done exemplary work the last few years to rise to meet federal standards, and that any suggestion “teachers or principals are cheating to improve school performance is defamatory at best.”
There is an on-going grade manipulation effort by staff through-out the district. This is because teachers and admins are being so harshly evaluated according to student "progress".
Students can be and are being raised and lowered almost by whim so teachers can show "improvement".
This is happening across grade levels.
Your student may be high in the spring and then low in the fall, reaching middle by February.
So how this works?
Grades are not ever going to show you what your student knows. Or how they are truly progressing.
Next up for discussion, social promotion.
-JC.
-making whoopee in dystopia
-Sorry to miss the meeting
KUOW weekday this week interviewed Dr. Shepherd Siegel (career and technical education manager for Seattle Public Schools) about alternative paths from high school and ways to keep kids (esp those at risk of dropping out) engaged and in school til graduation.
Interesting stuff, esp. how they'll involve kids in the discussion about the future (college, CC, other) so it's not tracking into skills courses (tracking -what adults do to kids) but finding out what kids are good at and passionate about and involving kids in discussions about working to find paths to foster those aptitudes. (hoping to eliminate any 'not college bound' stigma)
http://www.kuow.org/program.php?id=26374
More Job Training Coming To Seattle Schools: Not all high school students head to college after they graduate, and now Seattle Public Schools has started a new program offering training for those who want to go right to work. This fall, the district will open a new Skills Center, offering vocational courses in aerospace science, health science, digital animation, game programming and information technology.
--sps mom
Jay Greene's Blog =>
Review of Marc Tucker’s Book in Ed Next
Jay has a review of Marc Tucker’s book, Surpassing Shanghai, in the new issue of Education Next. It’s a general critique of “best practices” in education as well as a particular critique of Tucker’s ability to sell band instruments — er, I mean, sell Common Core — based on picking and choosing among the practices of high-achieving countries, like Finland, China, Canada, and Singapore.
Oh we got trouble. Right here in the US. And that starts with “T,” whose solution rhymes with “C,” and that stands for Common Core.
Oakland.
I hope the community continues to support Dr. Siegel in advocating for, and building out, these wonderful opportunities in CTE and other alternative pathways. CTE needs our support. Dr. Siegel is capable but, as mentioned, is often working with very little in a charged atmosphere.
n...
n...
SOURCE WATCH ALEC POLITICIANS
Geez anytime Lynne Varner, Stand for Children, The Alliance and parents agree on something, you'd think the Board would jump on it. But no... I sense the hand of board president DeBell here.
Also, anyone notice how much weaker Smith-Blum is on civic engagement than she was last year? And disappointed in McLaren for the same thing.
Ed Voter
- Curious
That was one of the things I was arguing about is the lack of parent oversight/vote.
The MOU/facts sheets say there should be grassroots parent involvement but there is NO requirement for it. There is not requirement to take parent input and use it. There is NO requirement for parents on the BLT. There is no requirement for any parents to be on the district oversight committee which is SEA and district staff.
Yes, we hijacked this idea away from parents AND took the Board oversight away.
Not the smartest move.
There will be a committee that will review the applications for Creative Approach Schools. For applications to gain approval they must meet some as yet undefined and eventually subjective standard of community engagement set by the members of the committee.
It is unclear if failure to adequately engage the community could, by itself, cause an application to be denied.
PIE Network