Seattle School Board Retreat

There are no Director Community meetings tomorrow as they will all be at the Board retreat.  It is open to the public for observation only.  Agenda.   Their stated "outcomes": Team (working as), Roles (Board roles) and Strategic Plan (affirming Core Beliefs for the development of a strategic plan).

I'm sorry but I thought the policy worked out last December/January DID define Board and Superintendent roles.   A whole day to talk about how to work together and what their core beliefs are to move the district forward and no specifics?  This smacks of the Alliance and I have wonder who came up with this agenda. 

And we wonder why more doesn't get done in our district.

One (slightly) humorous note is that they will be discussing the Senior Leadership Survey.  Many of senior leadership are either brand-new or interim and I'm sure their input could be valuable but again, the most important thing to discuss?  And really, I think all the staff at JSCEE could give some valuable input if asked.

It is from 10:30 am to 5:30 pm at the Talaris Conference Center, Maple Room, 4000 NE 41st Street.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Maybe instead of yet another retreat they could get their tails in gear in looking at 2013 enrollment, which is likely to bring the whole house o cards down in a debacle of nonplanning.

Then again, it would be admittedly smarmy fun to watch the group interact knowing the reign of DeBell has ended. Bodylanguage should be priceless. Hope someone observes.
11/30/12, 4:00 PM
Anonymous said…
That was DistrictWatcher above.
11/30/12, 4:01 PM
mirmac1 said…
After reading all the emails w/ Sara Morris, Karen DeMorest and Debell, agenda doesn't surprise me. Frankly, if I were a board member, I wouldn't waste my Saturday and yet another one of these navel-gazing gabfests. No wonder we go nowhere fast.
11/30/12, 4:39 PM
Charlie Mas said…
This agenda is just dreadful, but the reason it is so bad is stated right at the top. It is the first itme of business:
10:30
Grant update – areas of work, annual plan
Karen Tollenaar Demorest

They are doing this work at the retreat because this is the work that the Alliance is paying them to do.

Now let's take a moment and think about whether that is a good way for elected officials to operate.
11/30/12, 5:01 PM
Charlie Mas said…
Wouldn't it be great if they really talked about the Board's roles:

1) Represent the community's interests and concerns to the District.

2) Governance - write and enforce policy and set strategic goals.

3) Oversee management to confirm that it is consistent with policy and direction.


That's the Board's role. That's what they should be doing.
11/30/12, 5:03 PM
ConcernedSPSParent said…
What makes you say DeBell is on the way out?
11/30/12, 6:04 PM
Melissa Westbrook said…
DeBell has said publicly that he is not running again (and his term ends next November). His term as President will end within weeks so his ability to manipulate will be lessened.

Where will he go? I wonder if one or more Board members might jump ship either to one of the two open seats on the Board of Education come January or to the Charter Commission.
11/30/12, 6:18 PM
Anonymous said…
Very odd that enrollment/capacity management is not on the agenda. Guess they are waiting for the work session Wed?

-North End Mon
12/1/12, 11:59 AM
Anonymous said…
The alliance seems like a super board. I attend lots of community engagement events,I see and sometimes get the chance to talk to elected board, but it is not transparent, the alliance role.

Also this focus on senior leadership surveying, is thete a true fuclnctional purpose? Who are the seniors?

Reader
12/1/12, 1:04 PM
seattle citizen said…
Am I mis-remembering, or is the Strategic Plan funded by a Gates grant? Wasn't it created....four years ago, filled with all the modern reform jingo, and paid for by Gates through the Alliance? Or am I thinking of something else?
12/1/12, 8:08 PM
seattle citizen said…
Ah, yes, here it is, all seven million dollars worth - To see all the other millions Gates has spent buying public education in Seattle, go to the Gates grant search engine and use the search term Seattle Public Schools...(Word Verifier says to USEHIM, I guess that means Gates using one or more of the board members?)

Alliance for Education
Date: November 2008
Purpose: to support the college-ready curriculum, assessments, data and advocacy elements of Seattle Public Schools' strategic plan
Amount: $6,929,430
12/1/12, 8:16 PM
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