Your Superintendent Focus Group Committee

 There was this interesting tidbit at the bottom of the Superintendent Search page:

Names of Candidates: The names of the candidates will be kept confidential until the second round of interviews for the finalists in order to allow the highest-caliber of candidate to apply without concern about their current district’s reaction to the application.

So, the public may know who they are but just not hear them speak or ask them questions.  

And now drumroll, please.

Name Affiliation
Simon Amiel City Year
Janet Anderson Special Education PTSA
Mona Bailey Retired SPS Deputy Superintendent
Stephan Blanford Community Member
Michelle Buetow Alternative Schools Coalition
Linh-Co Burke Where's the Math?
Reuven Carlyle State Representative, 36th District
Rebecca Corpuz Seattle Indian Health Board
Joel Domingo Community Member
Trish Dziko Technology Access Foundation
Rochelle Fonoti South Pacific Islanders Coalition
Frank Irigon Puget Sound Alliance for Retired Americans
Stephanie Jones Community & Parents for Public Schools
Vu Le Vietnamese Friendship Association
Julie McCoy Mayor's Office
Sara Morris Alliance for Education
Sue Peters Parents Across America
Elizabeth Porter Community Member
Grant Price Seattle Student Senate
Norm Rice Seattle Foundation
Kenny Short Community Member
Ramon Soliz El Centro de la Raza
Tom Stritikus University of Washington
Alan Sugiyama Asian Pacific Director's Coalition
Kevin Washington Tabor 100

Comments

Anonymous said…
Thank you for publishing the committee list. Reuven Carlyle had gone public already on his FB page to solicit community input for the qualities to be sought for in the new Superintendent.


- Analytical One
4/8/12, 11:04 PM
dan dempsey said…
Gee after all the misfeasance in the Indian Ed program over several years...... it appears that no representatives of American Indian Alaska Natives will be on the "Focus Group Committee".

The first minority and likely the smallest minority by ethnicity is apparently easy to overlook and exclude most of the time.
4/9/12, 5:25 AM
Anonymous said…
I like this group! Well rounded, bright people, many different backgrounds! Nice.

-good job
4/9/12, 7:00 AM
seattle citizen said…
Yay, Sue Peters!
Tom Stritikus? Really? So TFA gets a seat?

And I agree with Dan: Native Americans/American Indians continue to be excluded. Promised action after years of malfeasance, then left out. Sort of like when the Duwamish were given land by treaty in 1853, then EVERY citizen of the city of Seattle signed a petition to the Indian commissioner asking him NOT to give them land. Then again in 2000, when Clinton granted them recignition, only to have Bush rescind it just days later...

Overall, a good group, but a member of the Native community would certainly been a better choice than our local TFA booster.
4/9/12, 7:26 AM
seattle citizen said…
Yay, Sue Peters!
Tom Stritikus? Really? So TFA gets a seat?

And I agree with Dan: Native Americans/American Indians continue to be excluded. Promised action after years of malfeasance, then left out. Sort of like when the Duwamish were given land by treaty in 1853, then EVERY citizen of the city of Seattle signed a petition to the Indian commissioner asking him NOT to give them land. Then again in 2000, when Clinton granted them recignition, only to have Bush rescind it just days later...

Overall, a good group, but a member of the Native community would certainly been a better choice than our local TFA booster.
4/9/12, 7:27 AM
Anonymous said…
Dan,
How do you know that American Indian Alaska Natives were actually excluded? Did any in fact apply? I'm curious why you specified "Alaskan Natives" and not all the other NW tribes?

Just wondering...
4/9/12, 7:28 AM
Melissa Westbrook said…
I don't see anyone on the self-nominated list from the American Indian Alaska Natives who applied. I know there was discussion about finding someone who is/has experience with Native Americans. There is someone on the committee who does and I give the board credit for that given no one applied.
4/9/12, 8:07 AM
Anonymous said…
Yes, that's the point---It is very difficult to give representation if, indeed, no one actually applied for the position. That does not at all mean they are intentionally excluded.

Just wondering...
4/9/12, 8:28 AM
Eric B said…
How does one intentionally exclude a group who doesn't apply to be on the committee? It's not like the fact of a committee wasn't advertised. I didn't see a specific request for applications to be on the committee, but I may not have been paying attention. The only other way I can think of is if the application was mysteriously lost. I have trouble believing that when it would be much simpler for people who want to limit Native involvement to say that they filled the seat they had reserved for Natives with another person.

On another front entirely, why does the Puget Sound Alliance of Retired Americans get a seat at the table?
4/9/12, 8:35 AM
seattle citizen said…
I stand corrected and apologize - didn't see this when I skimmed the list, and after Dan commented I went off....

"Rebecca Corpuz - Seattle Indian Health Board"
4/9/12, 8:43 AM
Catherine said…
My concern is that after watching Norm and Reuven operate in other large groups is that they tend to monopolize conversations. I hope that solid ground rules will even that out.
4/9/12, 8:59 AM
Anonymous said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
4/9/12, 9:45 AM
Melissa Westbrook said…
Catherine, that may be up to the Board and/or HYA. However, I see some strong voices on that committee who I know will be firm on ALL voices of the committee giving input in a measured and fair manner.
4/9/12, 9:46 AM
Sahila said…
As a sign of respect to the indigenous people of this place, ALL committees of any description ought to automatically have an indigenous elder representative...

Indigenous people ought not to have to apply for consideration...
4/9/12, 11:08 AM
dan dempsey said…
Dear Just Wondering,

As pointed out above "American Indian Alaska Native" AIAN is the term that refers to a very diverse group that in Canada would be "First Nations People".

When a group exists and has testified frequently about mistreatment and injustice and its claims have been substantiated in audits and confirmed in violations, it seems strange to think that a Bureaucrat from the "Seattle Indian Health Board" would provide adequate "VOICE".

Here is a Linkin Summary for Rebecca Corpuz:

40 years experience in non-profit planning, administration and management. 35 years in community health center.

Goal is to retire before I'm too old to enjoy

Specialties
Strategic Planning, Grantwriting, Human Resources, Administration and management

=============

This is about the same as having the Head of WEA speak for everyday teachers on any issue.

Could be all ... All politics and no substance.
4/9/12, 11:15 AM
Anonymous said…
Dan,
I think you are missing the main question: Do you know that American Indian Alaska Natives were actually excluded? Did any in fact apply?

If people of all walks of life & of all cultures do not volunteer & step up to the job (and fill out the required application just like everyone else) then how can their voices be represented?

Just wondering...
4/9/12, 1:51 PM
Anonymous said…
@Just wondering

Part of cultural compentency in the district should be a communication line that is already open and accessible with various communities. This should be a given, in particular, with Native Americans, considering the shameful historical record that exists regarding the schooling of their children in school systems.

Cultural competency also includes how different cultures communicate and "step up" (which might be considered "step on" from a different perspective than the majority culture).

Let's hope that the next superintendent has a clue.

--enough already
4/9/12, 2:35 PM
Anonymous said…
What really is this cast of thousands? Will they be interviewing the candidates? Asking questions? Giving feedback? What?

Sounds like a zoo.

I guess the district can check off "community engagement". But, I'm sure nobody will be happy in the end.

Another parent
4/9/12, 3:48 PM
seattle citizen said…
My second apology in one thread of comments: I of course shouldn't have assumed that someone from the Indian Health Board would be a defacto representative of the Native American/Alaskan Native community.

It kind of raises the question of who, on this committee or elsewhere, is a "spokesperson" for a particular group of people, but that's another thread.

That said, I agree with others here who have suggested that IF the district didn't get applications from the NA/AN community, it would have behooved them to reach out. But maybe they did, I have no idea.
4/9/12, 4:45 PM
dan dempsey said…
About the AIAN participation....
while all the bureaucrats may be aware of how to apply to get on the Superintendent Focus Group .... the same may not be true of those in the AIAN population.

Cultural Competence, like the achievement gaps has endless verbiage directed at it .... but when the pedal hits the metal .... nothing much happens in the SPS.

Check out all those WA State "Official" groups that focus achievement gaps.... What a sad record of "Zero" over the last several years. SPS Boards and Superintendents have put up "Big Zeroes" as well.
4/9/12, 7:23 PM
suep. said…
Hi everyone,

Please share with me any questions you'd like asked of the superintendent candidates. (Melissa/Charlie -- might that deserve a new thread?)

Thanks.

Sue

(Thanks for the support, Seattle Citizen!)
4/10/12, 1:58 PM
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