Seattle Schools Week of Jan. 7-12, 2013
Monday, January 7th
If you wish to speak at Wednesday's Board meeting (where the Transition Plan for 2013-2014 will be introduced), sign up today beginning at 8 am, either boardagenda@seattleschools.org or 252-0040.
Tuesday, January 8th
Special Education Advocacy & Advisory Council Meeting from 6:30-9:00 p.m., JSCEE, second floor, room 2700.
The open forum part of the meeting is from 6:30-7:30 pm with a Working Group Session from 7:30-9:00 p.m.
Wednesday, January 9th
Executive Committee Meeting - 8:30-10 am. Agenda
College Goal Sunday from 3-7 p.m. at Cleveland High School, to help students and families get information on applying for financial aid for college and helping them complete the FAFSA form.
Additional information about College Goal Sunday can be found at www.collegegoalsundaywa.org or by emailing Krista Rillo, klrillo@seattleschools.org.
School Board Meeting starting at 4:15 pm at JSCEE. Agenda
- Annual disclosure of financial/conflict of interest for Board and Executive Administrators (nothing to report here).
- approval of a contract for software to track capital projects, nearly $1M. I hope they chose wisely.
- approval of the Road Map Project (SPS is part of the group of districts to receive money under RTTT per this project). A little late to be approving it.
- applying for a grant from OSPI for energy operational costs savings. Interestingly, this is for TT Minor, Horace Mann and possibly Meany Middle school buildings. Apparently there are BTA funds allocated to take care of issues at these buildings that the OSPI grant could cover. This would be great if the district got some grant money as they could use all the capital funds they can get to cover our buildings and their issues.
- intro of Transition Plan for next year:
The main changes recommended for the NSAP Transition Plan for 2013-14 are:
Simplification of tiebreakers
Additional of a distance tiebreaker for elementary and middle school attendance area
schools
Changes to Spectrum middle school assignments
Implementation of a GeoZone for K-5 STEM at Boren
Designation of the Jane Addams building as an attendance area middle school, with a
feeder pattern comprised of the John Rogers, Olympic Hills and Sacajawea attendance
areas. The new attendance area middle school and the current Jane Addams K-8
environmental science option school will be temporarily co-located in the Jane Addams
building.
Transfer of the Laurelhurst attendance area from the Hamilton feeder pattern to the
Eckstein feeder pattern
I hope you didn't miss that "simplification of tiebreakers" followed by adding a new one.
- new policy on "attendance area transfers" - this appears to simplify things but I think I need a second read on it.
Thursday, January 10th
Audit&Finance Committee meeting from 4-5:30 p.m. Agenda not yet available
Memorial for Dr. Goodloe-Johnson at Mount Zion Baptist Church at 4:30 p.m. (The announcement states that she "passed away after a long battle with cancer." This was never publicly acknowledged, before or right after her death, so this is new.)
College Goal Sunday from 6-8 p.m. at Franklin High School.
Enrolling for Kindergarten at Olympic Hills Elementary from 6-7:30 p.m.
If you wish to speak at Wednesday's Board meeting (where the Transition Plan for 2013-2014 will be introduced), sign up today beginning at 8 am, either boardagenda@seattleschools.org or 252-0040.
Tuesday, January 8th
Special Education Advocacy & Advisory Council Meeting from 6:30-9:00 p.m., JSCEE, second floor, room 2700.
The open forum part of the meeting is from 6:30-7:30 pm with a Working Group Session from 7:30-9:00 p.m.
Wednesday, January 9th
Executive Committee Meeting - 8:30-10 am. Agenda
College Goal Sunday from 3-7 p.m. at Cleveland High School, to help students and families get information on applying for financial aid for college and helping them complete the FAFSA form.
Additional information about College Goal Sunday can be found at www.collegegoalsundaywa.org or by emailing Krista Rillo, klrillo@seattleschools.org.
School Board Meeting starting at 4:15 pm at JSCEE. Agenda
- Annual disclosure of financial/conflict of interest for Board and Executive Administrators (nothing to report here).
- approval of a contract for software to track capital projects, nearly $1M. I hope they chose wisely.
- approval of the Road Map Project (SPS is part of the group of districts to receive money under RTTT per this project). A little late to be approving it.
- applying for a grant from OSPI for energy operational costs savings. Interestingly, this is for TT Minor, Horace Mann and possibly Meany Middle school buildings. Apparently there are BTA funds allocated to take care of issues at these buildings that the OSPI grant could cover. This would be great if the district got some grant money as they could use all the capital funds they can get to cover our buildings and their issues.
- intro of Transition Plan for next year:
The main changes recommended for the NSAP Transition Plan for 2013-14 are:
Simplification of tiebreakers
Additional of a distance tiebreaker for elementary and middle school attendance area
schools
Changes to Spectrum middle school assignments
Implementation of a GeoZone for K-5 STEM at Boren
Designation of the Jane Addams building as an attendance area middle school, with a
feeder pattern comprised of the John Rogers, Olympic Hills and Sacajawea attendance
areas. The new attendance area middle school and the current Jane Addams K-8
environmental science option school will be temporarily co-located in the Jane Addams
building.
Transfer of the Laurelhurst attendance area from the Hamilton feeder pattern to the
Eckstein feeder pattern
I hope you didn't miss that "simplification of tiebreakers" followed by adding a new one.
- new policy on "attendance area transfers" - this appears to simplify things but I think I need a second read on it.
Thursday, January 10th
Audit&Finance Committee meeting from 4-5:30 p.m. Agenda not yet available
Memorial for Dr. Goodloe-Johnson at Mount Zion Baptist Church at 4:30 p.m. (The announcement states that she "passed away after a long battle with cancer." This was never publicly acknowledged, before or right after her death, so this is new.)
College Goal Sunday from 6-8 p.m. at Franklin High School.
Enrolling for Kindergarten at Olympic Hills Elementary from 6-7:30 p.m.
What
to bring to enroll into Seattle Public Schools:
Director Peaslee Community Meeting from 6:30-8:00 pm at the Lake City Library. Saturday, January 12th Director Carr Community Meeting from 8:30-10 am at Bethany Community Church, 8023 Green Lake Dr North - Main Sancutary Bld, Classroom A Director Martin-Morris Community Meeting from 9:30-11:30 am at Diva Espresso, 8013 Lake City Way NE Director McLaren Community Meeting from 10:15am - 12:15 pm at Delridge Library, 5423 Delridge Way SW |
Comments
Proposition No. 1
The Seattle School District’s enrollment rate continues to grow; yet the school district has continually
used and mismanages many of the funds provided to them. Countless dollars are not being spent on
repairs; schools are taking a loss in funds by selling school at losses only to reopen them.
In 2009 the school district was offered $9.7 million for the sales of Martin Luther King Elementary. When
all was said and done they voted to sell it to a non-profit church for $2.3 million. This is lost money that
could have provided much needed maintenance. Arbor Heights the oldest school in the district and the
most in need of repairs is not even part of the money allotted in the levy. Now the school district is nearly
$550 million in back repairs.
This mismanagement of funds is not helping our students. We need improvement in our schools. Do you
as a voter want to see your tax dollars go down the drain?
Vote NO on the operations Levy
Folks, please vote yes!
- public school parent
No need to throw money into the garbage and give people something they don't know how to use properly. They have had the money and did not use it.
I am voting NO.
The other thing that people are saying if I vote NO I am not helping the kids. Well they already are neglecting the kids with poor decisions. We may help a few by giving money, but not the main ones that need it. It is not a wise choice. Stop hiding behind the fact that the kids will lose out. They messed up the chance to help by misuse in the past. Want me to support the kids do a better job at using what you already have.
So if the measure passes, some of the money might be wasted and some needed repairs might not be done. But if it doesn't pass, it's guaranteed that none of the repairs will be done.
Info here: http://standupwa.org/
In light of the horrific tragedy last month in Newtown, the theme of the rally is "Turning anger into action." Indeed, I'm angry, and I'll be there. I hope many of you will also participate.
Gun violence is an issue that parents should care about. The number 1 killer of children in this country is injuries, and gun injuries are a large portion of that number. And it's a multifacted problem, ranging from mass shootings to the daily carnage guns produce in our cities to youth suicides, an often overlooked problem that we could so easily reduce if more people understood that the impulsiveness of youth and the lethality of guns just shouldn't be allowed to mix.
There is an excellent editorial about reducing gun deaths among children in last week's New England Journal of Medicine. Guns kill more American children and young adults than cancer and infectious diseases. This isn't a criminal justice issue; it's a public health issue. We can do better. The paper is worth reading: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1215606#t=article
Hope to see you at the rally!
No its a freedom issue. Sometimes the price of freedom is the blood of children.
You want to cower in fear with no recourse against a tyrannical regime? Or do you want to know that there are safeguards that allow Americans to finally "enough!".
Put your efforts into mental health support no a quixotic attempt to restrict what the Supreme Court has affirmed as an individual right.
"Don't tread on me"
So how many dead children is enough for you to allow restrictions on assault weapons? Apparently 15 in one day is not enough for you. So how many? 20? 50? 100? 1000?
You make me want to vomit.
"Sometimes the price of freedom is the blood of children."
So how many dead children is enough for you to allow restrictions on assault weapons? Apparently 15 in one day is not enough for you. So how many? 20? 50? 100? 1000?
You make me want to vomit.
Signed -That poster makes me want to vomit too.
As a teacher, I've seen buildings get the equipment and remodeling they need. The recent remodel at Ingraham is a perfect example. Without levy money, those kids and teachers would still be in mold-infested portables intended to be temporary in the '60s.
I'm willing to pay an extra $60-$100 a year in the gamble that our district's new leadership will use my money well. I have a pretty good chance of that, and the more informed and active I am the higher my chances.
If I vote no, I have a 100% chance that the next generation of children will be forced to attend school in outdated, unsafe, and uninspired buildings. The only payoff is I get to punish the district and its students and I can continue to be lazy.
Vote yes.
-Teacher and Parent