Horace Mann Task Force meets this evening

The Horace Mann African-American Community Task Force meets for a fourth time tonight. The Central District News has covered the story well and reports progress, though not as much progress as their headline claims nor as much as they originally reported.

The article also says "In response Seattle Public Schools formed a task force last month to rethink plans for the 110-year-old school." But, as was revealed at the third Task Force meeting last week, the District never intended to change course on the Mann building.

Comments

joanna said…
Thank you for the post and confirmation of the meeting. I agree that there was never any evidence that the District was rethinking the plan. However, District actions have let the situation fester and left room for such speculation.
9/12/13, 1:07 PM
Benjamin Leis said…
I like to separate my concerns with district into different buckets.

Yes there is a process issue here. If the district isn't going to change directions it should be clear about it and communicate why rather than convening a toothless committee. And yes it has a habit of doing this.

But the short term tactical problem is renovating the building on time to solve the general capacity issues. If you have a beef with the capacity planning I'd rather see you directly enumerate it.

Also for the record I don't see coupling a long term issue like the African American performance gap to this particular building to be a reasonable strategy. I can empathize with why some folks would try to do so I just don't see this being the correct forcing function.

Ben
9/12/13, 1:36 PM
joanna said…
Ben, I am trying to figure out to whom you are addressing your remarks in terms of long term capacity issues on this thread. "If you have a beef with the capacity planning I'd rather see you directly enumerate it." The divisiveness within and between the various communities and neighborhoods that was encouraged by District lack of clarity is one of my issues. I may or may not have some beefs with capacity planning, not on this thread. I also do not perceive that topic as part of the original post.
9/12/13, 3:06 PM
joanna said…
Charlie, I was disappointed to not see you at the meeting tonight. I am not sure what to think as the 4 Mann group was too upset to show up. Wyking did. Pegi claimed that the articles on CD News and the Capitol Hill blog misrepresented her interview with Bryan Cohen. Anyway the meeting and a vote and meeting on recommendations to the Superintendent was tabled. Superintendent Banda was not present. The various issues for voting were very confusing.
9/12/13, 9:19 PM
Anonymous said…
Thanks for the update Joanna.

HP
9/13/13, 7:49 AM
Carol Simmons said…
I have been unable to attend any of these meetings. Does anyone know if there has been any discussion about the Mann building being shared with the current residents and NOVA. In the past, the building housed several programs together.
9/13/13, 12:32 PM
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