Update 2: So I have seen a message from President Liza Rankin on why she, Director Evan Briggs, and Director Michelle Sarju backed out of this meeting. In a nutshell: - She says there was no organization to the meeting which is just not true. They had a moderator lined up and naturally the board members could have set parameters for what to discuss, length of meeting, etc. All that was fleshed out. - She also claimed that if the meeting was PTA sponsored, they needed to have liability insurance to use the school space. Hello? PTAs use school space all the time and know they have to have this insurance. - She seems to be worried about the Open Public Meetings law. Look, if she has a meeting in a school building on a non-personnel topic, it should be an open meeting. It appears that Rankin is trying, over and over, to narrow the window of access that parents have to Board members. She even says in her message - "...with decisions made in public." Hmmm - She also says that th
Comments
- I noticed a bit more of a generous tone from the Times about all the candidates. I think that may change for the general election.
- I'm a bit mystified about them playing up Ms. Estey's education advocacy. It's all a bit vague so I'm not sure she's been more active than the average active SPS parent.
- They fail to note that Sue Peters is also a current SPS parent (and for much longer).
- They bookend the piece by calling the Board dysfunctional. The players are going to change, no matter what. Is it really necessary to beat this drum over and over?
Three continuing board members have endorsed Sue Peters.
If the Times were really interested in Board unity, wouldn't they endorse the candidate who was endorsed by continuing board members?
Two things:
First she barely has kids in school, no offense but volunteering in a kindergarten/frst grade classroom in the Magnolia area does not give you "sharp insight."
Second: Road Map! Huge.Red.Flag.
Also, interesting that three continuing board members have endoursed Peters.
Cannot even recall the name of the third candidate; that is not a good sign!
Thanks.
Modessa Jacobs' FERPA presentation
For an incomplete and inadequate reply, advance to minute 64.
Can I repeat, if you think the release of your student's PII is worth "data portability", ease of access and entry for unnamed "community partners", etc etc, might I suggest you let your Board director know. They truly have no idea.
For a bit I stopped my subscription to the Seattle Times due to bias of the education reporting there and advocacy for one controversial point of view. Since it is the only daily, I recently renewed it. This is another case where the Times is entitle to an editorial opinion, but in order to be journalistic sound, the article should not ignore the experience of Sue Peters as an advocate for education and with the Seattle School District. Peters and Estey are both good candidates, and if the Times fairly portrayed both candidates and then gave the reason for their endorsement, I would find the article interesting and perhaps disagree or agree, but I would not be as disappointed and upset as I am now. As it is, the reasoning makes no sense and totally ignores Sue Peters' impressive educational credentials, her long time involvement in educational issues and understanding of the Seattle School District.
She served on the Superintendent Search Community Focus Group (2012) and the Strategic Plan Stakeholder Task Force (2013). The article omits her local and national public education advocacy and leadership, as a founding member of Parents Across America, the Seattle Math Coalition and the Seattle Education Blog.
She has been recently endorsed by King County Councilmember Larry Gossett and has the endorsement o f State Senator Maralyn Chase, State Representative Gerry Pollet, the 43rd District Democrats, 32nd District Democrats, the Metropolitan Democratic Club, M. L. King County Labor Council, Local 609, Seattle School Board President Kay Smith-Blum, Vice-President Betty Patu, Directors Marty McLaren & Sharon Peaslee, former School Board Directors Amy Hagopian & Sally Soriano, as well as U.W. Professor and math advocate Cliff Mass.
She is a professionally trained journalist. Sue has master's degree in communication from Stanford University, BA from the University of Calif at San Diego, as well as a year of study at the Univ of Paris.
The article mentions that Estey is a parent of children in the Seattle School District and her volunteer work in her children's classroom, while totally ignoring that Peters is also a parent of children in Seattle Schools who volunteers in the classroom and recently taught French to K-2 students in a before-school enrichment program. All I ask is that the Seattle Times editors give honest facts about candidates and reasons for an endorsement. Seattle looks to them for news, more than advocacy.