Items of Note
Roosevelt High School's Jazz Band placed third at this weekend's Essentially Ellington competition in NYC. Congrats to all!
Ballard High students in their video program won two major prizes at the Dominique Dunne Film Competition in Colorado Springs. The competition only awards four prizes and the judges are a who's who in Hollywood so this is huge honor for Ballard. Good job!
Pinehurst K-8 is circulating a petition about their proposed relocation to Broadview-Thompson.
From the petition:
Pinehurst K-8 at Broadview-Thompson provides the district with a much-needed Option School in the northwest area.
As Pinehurst K-8 community members, we consider these requests to be reasonable for the success of the co-location:
• That we retain our principal, administrative staff, and instructional staff to ensure stability for our entire community during the transition; for initial negotiations with Broadview-Thompson staff regarding scheduling and sharing spaces and resources; and for crucial institutional memory.
• Wet portables.
• A “resource portable” for our library, including our special collections, and for our computer lab.
• Guaranteed access to common areas and physical spaces such as the gym, cafeteria, library, and playground, with the understanding that Pinehurst K-8 is its own distinct community.
• Transportation with a hub stop at the Pinehurst building.
We feel strongly that our administrative and instructional staff is critical to the success of our co-location. Without them, it is difficult to imagine maintaining the integrity and distinctiveness of our unique school.
We were told that a final decision of the location of our school would be made by the end of this current school year (June 2013). We hope that our reasonable requests are included in the outcome.
Pinehurst is one of the oldest alternative programs in our district. It has struggled over the last several years with much of that struggle coming at the hands of uncertainty for their future. Please consider signing their petition.
The Charter Commission has posted the Executive Director position. Please send it out if you know of a good candidate.
The Executive Director will work with Commission members to implement Charter School Legislation, identify education trends and policy priorities, and make recommendations based on research and best practice for improving the education of students in Washington State.
The Executive Director is accountable to the Commission for carrying out its mission and achieving its goals. Under the authority of the Commission, the Executive Director is responsible for establishing the Commission as a quality authorizer. Duties include planning, organizing, directing, communicating for the Charter School Commission and overseeing the annual budget of the Commission.
There is no ending date set for this position but candidates are advised to submit their materials as soon as possible.
Ballard High students in their video program won two major prizes at the Dominique Dunne Film Competition in Colorado Springs. The competition only awards four prizes and the judges are a who's who in Hollywood so this is huge honor for Ballard. Good job!
Pinehurst K-8 is circulating a petition about their proposed relocation to Broadview-Thompson.
From the petition:
Pinehurst K-8 at Broadview-Thompson provides the district with a much-needed Option School in the northwest area.
As Pinehurst K-8 community members, we consider these requests to be reasonable for the success of the co-location:
• That we retain our principal, administrative staff, and instructional staff to ensure stability for our entire community during the transition; for initial negotiations with Broadview-Thompson staff regarding scheduling and sharing spaces and resources; and for crucial institutional memory.
• Wet portables.
• A “resource portable” for our library, including our special collections, and for our computer lab.
• Guaranteed access to common areas and physical spaces such as the gym, cafeteria, library, and playground, with the understanding that Pinehurst K-8 is its own distinct community.
• Transportation with a hub stop at the Pinehurst building.
We feel strongly that our administrative and instructional staff is critical to the success of our co-location. Without them, it is difficult to imagine maintaining the integrity and distinctiveness of our unique school.
We were told that a final decision of the location of our school would be made by the end of this current school year (June 2013). We hope that our reasonable requests are included in the outcome.
Pinehurst is one of the oldest alternative programs in our district. It has struggled over the last several years with much of that struggle coming at the hands of uncertainty for their future. Please consider signing their petition.
The Charter Commission has posted the Executive Director position. Please send it out if you know of a good candidate.
The Executive Director will work with Commission members to implement Charter School Legislation, identify education trends and policy priorities, and make recommendations based on research and best practice for improving the education of students in Washington State.
The Executive Director is accountable to the Commission for carrying out its mission and achieving its goals. Under the authority of the Commission, the Executive Director is responsible for establishing the Commission as a quality authorizer. Duties include planning, organizing, directing, communicating for the Charter School Commission and overseeing the annual budget of the Commission.
There is no ending date set for this position but candidates are advised to submit their materials as soon as possible.
Comments
Very proud of the high schools from Seattle that represented this area.
From what I understand, the other two bands that won 1st and 2nd weren't public high schools (Tucson Jazz Institute and Jazz House kids) - so even more impressed that our kids continue to do so well as competition ramps up.
-GHS Parent
Report to the BMG Foundation on the A4E/SPS Strategic Plan 2008-2013
ConnectEDU is a privately held technology company, committed to preparing and transitioning 21st Century Learners on their pathways from school to college to career, helping them realize their potential, achieve a secure financial future, and ultimately connect to life's possibilities.
You can't read that Report to the BMG Foundation on the Alliance's work without realizing how far the Alliance has stepped over the line.
They think the Board needs to be checked? They need to be checked.
"Ongoing Governance: We underestimated the amount of time and effort it would take to reach agreement about sound governance practices and implement the protocols to support them (we couldn't ram DeBell's Board Policy through). We have learned that governance must be an ongoing topic woven into particular areas of work (we will continue to brainwash the board in the retreats). In the coming year we will use the strategic plan “refresh” process as the framework through which we reinforce proper (as we define it) governance."
So yes, I would think they would take control of their school's future, and go charter pronto.
--pulling for Pinehurst
Here's the problem - it IS not and WILL not be easy to do. The application process (still in progress) will take a huge lift especially if you have never done one before. (And so, this favors charter applications from out-of-state groups.)
Just saying, "we've been a school for 40 years" will only count a little in this process.
I think many who wish to go this route will be in for a surprise.
Now if Pinehurst was remaining in their building, they could convert to a charter but not if they move to B-T.
Also, several BHS film student projects have been nominated for Emmy Awards in the student competition.
We have talked of applying for charter status but Melissa outlined what we learned: we really aren't capable, as a small group of busy, working parents who have never created a charter before, of making it happen.
Having said that, it's not entirely off the table. If the district decides to *not* co-locate us as Broadview-Thomson, then we have no other option.
We are supposed to have the decision settled next month, according to Peaslee (who, despite outside appearances, does care about us, and comes to meetings with us regularly; she's just one person in a district that has been hell-bent on closing us for 40 years).
If we learn in June that we are to be closed, the problem facing us at that point will be having just 1 school year to make something happen, and the parents & staff with the most institutional memory aging out. But chartering will be one of the things we consider.
I can understand and appreciate Pinehurst's concerns. They are a great school and have done many wonderful things. But, is holding the district hostage with the threat of a charter school the way to do it? How many other schools will do the same?
I doubt Pinehurst would make the top lists of schools to be converted into a charter. It is possible that these individuals will be making a long term decision for the communitity when they will only be in the school for several years. Then, those folks won't even have access to an elected board.
What does "own district community mean"? I understand Pinehurst has been a wonderful school. Why would the community want to limit it's success? Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but would like to know more.
What is a "wet" portable?
So, then you will be making decisions for a community- even though you won't be there. You will also be taking away the community's ability to have an elected board- when you won't be there. Very interesting.
How many other schools are being threatened with closure?
I see our school as more of a scapegoat than a hostage taker.
I also have doubts about our viability as a charter.
For Curious:
Pinehurst is a small community of learners that wants to grow with people who choose us as an option school.
A wet portable has a water supply.
For Hmmmm
Yes, an interesting, challenging, desperate and not very palatable (to me) measure.
If you are new to the district, you wouldn't be aware of the fact that multiple schools were closed several years ago. So, Pinehurst is not an exception.
Regarding a small community of people wanting to grow. I have to say that I've been involved in a community that has transformed Loyal Heights Elementary and Whitman (still working on that one)
Many families from the NW cluster are moving to Ingraham and making positive impact. Something good happens when a community works for common good. My children are fine.
My children have also spent time in "dry" portables during their elementary and middle school experiences. Again, my children haven't been damaged.
I'm not aware of all the issues, but it seems like Pinehurst could provide support to Broadview Thompson.
In my view, all things happen for a reason. Maybe this is an opportunity, not a catastrophe. I believe a charter school would be detrimental to the greater good.
Curious, what we meant by "own, distinct community" is that we do not want the higher-ups to think it's ok to separate Pinehurst kids from each other just for the ease of scheduling. For example, rather than give our school dedicated time in the gym, they could say "send your 2nd graders over at 11:35am when BT 2nd graders are already in the gym," when actually our 2nd graders are part of a k-2 (as part of our educational philosophy) who are learning together in their classroom. Pulling out some kids - as if our community design doesn't matter - for the sake of easy scheduling would disrupt their learning.
We are TOTALLY open to growing with people who choose our school. We'd be thrilled, in fact! Please, send people to us!
Don't be rash, I'm a bit confused by your comment because I specifically said we are not pursuing charter. We talked about it, decided it wasn't what we wanted.
Some parents might consider charter IF the district closes Pinehurst. But then we would no longer be an existing SSD school pursuing a charter, we'd just be parents of a closed school who want to replicate the valuable learning experience we had at Pinehurst.
However, none of us has the means to pursue charter EVEN IF the district closes Pinehurst, so it is a moot point.
The idea that we're holding the district hostage in ANY way is, unfortunately, laughably pathetic. IF ONLY we had that kind of power.....
Hmmmmm, I'm not sure I understand your point. If our school is closed, we will not have taken away anyone's access to an elected board, the elected board will have taken away their school and disbursed the population within the district. Access to the board will remain the same. (Not that having an elected board would have done us any favors, if they close us... so again... I'm not sure your point.) What happens with the families after that would be up to the families - I'll be out of that fight (and taking my institutional memory with me, so they can make their own plans). If they want to regroup and try to pursue a charter for themselves, that's up to them.
It's really in the hands of the School board. We're waiting to hear from them as to whether we're going to be moved to portables at BT, or closed.
Incoming Parent